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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 09 2007 : 9:39:27 PM
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Hello everybody ~
Every Spiritual Path presents challenges and difficulties which have to be faced and overcome in order attain Spiritual Illumination. Inevitably, these challenges and difficulties are reflections of our own inwardly self-limiting attachments, delusions, and restrictions. 
It is my intention in this thread to present both classical writings and modern commentaries of various spiritual and religious traditions, which specifically address the inner stuggles of such spiritual combat, for your consideration and comments. 
If you should find anything that resonates within your heart and mind in any of these writings, take them and keep them as aids to progress on your own path, and if not...merely discard them out of hand with the hope that another piece may inspire you with more power and authority. 
This first offering, randomly selected from among hundreds in my library, is an exerpt from one of the Great Classics of Western Ascetic Theology entitled..."The Spiritual Combat':
"DISTRUST OF SELF is so absolutely requisite in the spiritual combat, that without this virtue we cannot expect to defeat our weakest passions, much less gain a complete victory. This important truth should be deeply imbedded in our hearts; for, although in ourselves we are nothing, we are too apt to overestimate our own abilities and to conclude falsely that we are of some importance. This vice springs from the corruption of our nature. But the more natural a thing is, the more difficult it is to be discovered.
But God, to Whom nothing is secret, looks upon this with horror, because it is His Will that we should be convinced we possess only that virtue and grace which comes from Him alone, and that without Him we are incapable of one meritorious thought. This distrust of our own strength is a gift from Heaven, bestowed by God on those He loves. It is granted sometimes through His holy inspiration, sometimes through severe afflictions, or almost insurmountable temptations and other ways which are unknown to us. Yet He expects that we will do everything within our power to obtain it. And we certainly will obtain it if, with the grace of God, we seriously employ the following four means.
First. We must mediate upon our own weakness. Consider the fact that, being nothing in ourselves, we cannot, without Divine assistance, accomplish the smallest good or advance the smallest step towards Heaven.
Second. We must beg God, with great humility and fervor, this eminent virtue which must come from Him alone. Let us begin by acknowledging not only that we do not possess it, but that of ourselves we are utterly incapable of acquiring it. Then let us cast ourselves at the feet of the Lord and earnestly beg Him to grant our request. We must do this with firm confidence that we will be heard if we patiently await the effect of our prayer, and persevere in it as long as it pleases Divine Providence.
Third. We must gradually accustom ourselves to distrust our own strength, to dread the illusions of our own mind, the strong tendency of our nature to sin, and the overwhelming number of enemies that surround us. Their subtlety, experience, and strength surpass ours, for they can transform themselves into Angels of light, and lie in ambush for us as we advance towards Heaven.
Fourth. As often as we commit a fault, we must examine ourselves in order to discover our vulnerable points. God permits us to fall only that we may gain a deeper insight into ourselves, that we may learn to despise ourselves as wretched creatures and to desire honestly to be disregarded by others. Without this we cannot hope to obtain distrust of self which is rooted in humility and the knowledge of our own weakness.
Whoever seeks to approach the eternal truth and fountain of all light must know himself thoroughly. He must not imitate the pride of those who obtain no other knowledge than what their sins provide, and who begin to open their eyes only when they are plunged into some disgraceful and unforeseen debacle. This happens through God's permission that they may know their own weakness, and, by sad experience, learn not to rely on their own strength. God seldom supplies so severe a remedy against their presumption unless other means have failed.
<>Briefly, He permits persons to fall more or less grievously in proportion to their pride. As often as you commit a fault, therefore, immediately strive to probe your inner consciousness; earnestly beg God to enlighten you, that you may see yourself as you are in His sight, and presume no more on your strength, otherwise you will fall again into the same faults, or perhaps much greater ones to the eternal ruin of your soul."
Blessed Be All ~
Doc
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 10 2007 02:10:32 AM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2007 : 11:28:20 PM
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VÂGASANEYI-SAMHITÂ-UPANISHAD, SOMETIMES CALLED ÎSÂVÂSYA
OR ÎSÂ-UPANISHAD
VÂGASANEYI-SAMHITÂ-UPANISHAD.
1. ALL this, whatsoever moves on earth, is to be hidden in the Lord (the Self). When thou hast surrendered all this, then thou mayest enjoy. Do not covet the wealth of any man!
2. Though a man may wish to live a hundred years, performing works, it will be thus with him; but mot in any other way: work will thus not cling to a man.
3. There are the worlds of the Asuras (demi-god demons) covered with blind darkness. Those who have destroyed their self (who perform works, without having arrived at a knowledge of the true Self ), go after death to those worlds.
4. That One (the Self), though never stirring, is swifter than thought. The Devas (senses) never reached It, It walked before them. Though standing still, It overtakes the others who are running. Mâtarisvan (the wind, the moving spirit) bestows powers on It.
5. It stirs and It stirs not; It is far, and likewise near. It is inside of all this, and It is outside of all this.
6. And he who beholds all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, he never turns away from It.
7. When to a man who understands, the Self has become all things, what sorrow, what trouble can there be to him who once beheld that Unity?
8. He (the Self) Encircled All, Bright, Incorporeal, Scatheless, without muscles, Pure, untouched by evil; a Seer, Wise, Omnipresent, Self-Existent, He disposed all things rightly for eternal years.
9. All who worship what is not real knowledge (good works), enter into blind darkness: those who delight in real knowledge enter, as it were, into greater darkness.
10. One thing, they say, is obtained from real knowledge; another, they say, from what is not knowledge. Thus we have heard from the wise who taught us this.
11. He who knows at the same time both knowledge and not-knowledge, overcomes death through not-knowledge, and obtains immortality through knowledge.
12. All who worship what is not the True Cause, enter into blind darkness: those who delight in the True Cause enter, as it were, into greater darkness.
13. One thing, they say, is obtained from knowledge of the cause; another, they say, from knowledge of what is not the cause. Thus we have heard from the wise who taught us this.
14. He who knows at the same time both the cause and the destruction (the perishable body), overcomes death by destruction (the perishable body), and obtains Immortality through knowledge of the True Cause.
15. The door of the True is covered with a golden disk. Open that, O Pûshan, that we may see the Nature of the True.
16. O Pûshan, only seer, Yama (judge), Sûrya (sun), son of Pragâpati, spread thy rays and gather them! The Light which is Thy fairest form, I see It. I Am What He Is (viz. the Person in the Sun).
17. Breath to air, and to the Immortal! Then this my body ends in ashes. Om! Mind, remember! Remember thy deeds! Mind, remember! Remember thy deeds!
18. Agni, lead us on to Beatitude by a Good Path, Thou, O God, Who knowest all things!
Hari OM!
Doc
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 01:12:02 AM
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1. The definition of good and evil
From a Spiritual science standpoint, people who are living or who have passed on (subtle bodies), who have an intense desire to do spiritual practice with the goal of surrendering everything including ego unto God and aligning their life with attaining God and deities, are defined as ‘good’. These are typically persons who are above the 30% spiritual level, are raja-sattva or sattva predominant and righteous. People without the above mentioned characteristics but doing some good deeds like donating to orphanages etc., though meritorious, do not necessarily qualify for what Spiritual science would define as ‘good’ people, especially if the act is done with immense pride. Good people and good subtle bodies collectively come under ‘good forces’.
On the other hand, evil persons (living or subtle bodies) are raja-tama or tama predominant, unrighteous and have a high ego. They may even be doing spiritual practice but it is done with the goal of acquiring spiritual power for the fulfilment of some personal ambition. The word ‘Ego’ is used in a spiritual context here. In addition to its everyday usage as an overbearing self esteem and a high level of self conceit, it also includes the spiritual connotation of an attitude of duality with God. Duality means thinking of oneself as having an existence distinct from God. Evil people and evil subtle bodies collectively come under ‘evil forces’.
From a strictly Spiritual science perspective those who are doing spiritual practice with the objective of God-realisation and who are progressively offering their body, mind, wealth and ego to God would qualify in the ‘good’ category. Thus according to this definition of ‘good’, in present times the good people on Earth are negligible. A majority of the people come under 'evil'. Among these however, those who try to harm society and reduce the sattva component in the world amount to 30% of the population.
2. Where did good and evil come from?
2.1 When did evil come into existence?
Everything in the universe has originated from the One God. The God principle permeates everything in the universe and also exists beyond it. From this perspective both good and evil have originated from the God principle. They have both existed since the creation of the universe. However the evil was in seed or latent form at that time.
According to a spiritual law ‘everything has originated from the God principle. It will be sustained and then undergo dissolution back into the God principle’. This happens as per an inherent absolute plan. Thus the universe has come into existence, it will be sustained for a predefined period of time and then it will undergo dissolution. As a part of this divine plan, the evil that was in seed form at the origin of the universe steadily grows. It manifests in the form of evil elements and persons. With the passage of time, the evil element will keep on growing until it reaches 100%, at which point the universe will cease to exist.
2.2 Where do good and evil forces get their energy from?
Since both good and evil come from the Supreme God principle, they also get their spiritual energy from God. This may seem like a paradox; however it can best be understood by the following analogy. Two employees of a company work equally hard and earn the same wage. After the money is in their hands, it depends on them how they will use it. One person may use it to feed himself and after that whatever is remaining to help society. The other person may use it to harm society. Earning money is akin to obtaining spiritual energy that we get when we do spiritual practice. The intention behind doing spiritual practice is very different for good and evil people. For the former, it is to merge with God whereas for the latter it is primarily to get spiritual power. Once we build up our reservoir of spiritual energy, God gives us the free will to use it as we please. This spiritual energy when used by people for Righteousness is known as good energy and when used for unrighteousness it is known as evil energy.
The important point to note is that when it is used for righteous means, one experiences oneness with that aspect of God. Hence he can access that much divine energy corresponding to the extent of the oneness. Thus one does not end up losing any spiritual energy. However when spiritual energy is used for unrighteous means, it being contrary to God, the person ends up using the energy that he gained from spiritual practice, thus depleting it.
3. What is the mission of good and evil?
The mission of the good forces is to establish an order across all the regions of the universe based on the sattva component. On the other hand, evil forces strive to establish a demonic kingdom based on the raja and tama components. This demonic kingdom is a kind of kingdom that is most conducive for demonic forces to fulfil their desires. These desires have a wide range, right from indulging excessively in sensual pleasures and the inappropriate use of power, to troubling seekers of God, to wiping out spiritual practice for God-realisation.
4. The balance between good and evil
As a result of the missions of good and evil forces being diametrically opposed to each other, there is always conflict between the two. This balance fluctuates over time and is never constant. Its effects are felt across all the regions of the universe. For example, when there is an increase in the power of demonic forces and ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) the situation across all the positive planes of existence (Earth, Heaven etc.) begins to worsen. On Earth, it affects us at a physical, mental and spiritual level. However the negative regions (i.e. all the various levels of hell) experience a positive effect in their paradigm. When there is a tilt in the balance towards good, there is an increase in the subtle basic sattva component and Bliss is experienced throughout the universe. Peace and prosperity reigns on Earth. The demonic forces are however distressed by this positive trend. Their degree of discomfort is akin to that of forcing a criminal to live in a seminary or shrine.
4.1 What are the reasons behind the tilting of the balance in the direction of the evil forces?
At every twist and turn, evil forces in the universe are trying to adversely influence the balance of power. Despite the demonic forces’ constant attempts to reduce the subtle sattva component and stop seekers of God from practising and spreading spirituality, the good forces reign supreme as long as there are Saints and seekers doing spiritual practice. This is because God helps Saints and seekers due to their devotion, to overcome the evil forces.
The major reservoir of power of good and evil resides in the subtle regions. The forces of good and evil on Earth are like puppets on strings. They both get their power from the forces of good and evil respectively in the subtle realm.
4.2 Spiritual level and attack by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.)
The demonic forces generally attack the good forces that are within +/- 10% spiritual strength of their own strength. The reason for this is that a ghost cannot affect a person where there is a difference of 10% in spiritual level in favour of the person. This is because a person is able to harness 10-20 % of God’s protection, more than the level of distress by ghosts, which protects him from an attack by a ghost having a lower spiritual energy.
Those ghosts at a spiritual level of more than 10% of a person’s spiritual level do not bother to attack him, as he is too small to contend with and thus inconsequential to the ghost. So for example, a person at 30% spiritual level will be attacked by a ghost (demon, devil, negative energy etc.) in the range of 20 – 40% level.
It becomes easier for demonic forces of evil to exert their power over mankind especially when people are more materialistic and less inclined to practising Spirituality. When there is an increase in the tama component in mankind, demonic forces themselves being tama predominant, easily take advantage of the situation and try to establish their control over humanity.
5. When does the battle between good and evil intensify?
The battle between good and evil intensifies when the subtle basic sattva component hits rock bottom and the subtle basic tama component reaches a high. The sattva hitting rock bottom is a function of the percentage of evildoers on Earth. What is ‘rock bottom’ differs over time and changes with each era. For example, the worst period of Satyayuga (the first era of the universe) would be far more sattvik than the period of highest sattvikta in the whole of Kaliyuga.
In the future, in the next mini-cycles, rock bottom will come after the evildoers have crossed 35%, 40% etc. When they become 100%, the universe will cease to exist because all will have to be annihilated by God.
6. Where is this battle fought?
The battle between good and evil is fought mainly in the subtle worlds between the subtle good and subtle evil forces. This battle, even though at a much larger scale than any battle on Earth, can only be perceived by a person who has an activated sixth sense.
After the subtle battle is won by the subtle good forces, it is followed by the battle in the gross (physical) i.e. on Earth. This gross war affects the entire world. It is required to annihilate all the evil persons from the face of Earth. At first the battleground manifests on Earth in people’s minds and it seems like we are living in a world that has gone crazy. This is pretty much like the world in recent times. This is primarily because of ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) possessing or affecting mankind. Along with this there is an increasing intensity of natural disasters (floods, tsunamis, epidemics, drought etc.).
Later the battle in the subtle, manifests and escalates on Earth. It finally presents itself as a major world war along with natural disasters of a monumental level. It is nature’s way of cleansing the planet of the tama predominant elements, making way for a better world.
7. Who participates in the battle between good and evil?
Those persons and subtle bodies on the good side, within the 30-50% spiritual level range, have an understanding of the issue only at a psychological level. As they lack spiritual strength beyond 50%, they can contribute little at a spiritual level. Such people who are fighting physically on Earth usually perish. But at least they accrue merits because they fought on the side of God. Those at a spiritual level of 50% and above, having spiritual emotion and a warrior's attitude are really able to participate in the battle at a spiritual level and thus contribute maximally. “To be able to participate at a spiritual level” requires one to have a very low ego, an advanced activated sixth sense and a strong understanding of pure Spirituality that is beyond sectarian or organised religion. Only then is one able to perceive God’s will and act accordingly rather than according to one’s own will. As the acts done by the person are as per God’s will, the person is able to access divine energy and also does not create a give-and-take account with his actions. The devotion of the person also causes God to rush to his aid. It is because of God rushing to the aid of the true devotee, that the people associated with the devotee and his mission also benefit. This can be understood from the following analogy. When a devotee of God, trapped in a building in the middle of an earthquake, cries for help from God, God will save him. But others in the building will also be automatically saved.
Most of the seekers of God across the world, who have not studied the subtle battle aspect of Spiritual science or who do not have an activated sixth sense are not in the know of it. As a result, they can neither prepare themselves to face the attack by demonic forces, nor can they participate in the battle. Most Saints on Earth who are involved purely in their own individual spiritual practice are also unaware of this battle. As per their spiritual level, God functions through them. But other than that function, there is little they can contribute to the battle of good and evil.
There are very few Saints who are actively involved in guiding seekers to do spiritual practice for the sake of society. They do so, due to Their yearning for establishing Righteousness on Earth. They are thus more extensively one with God whose fundamental characteristic is Righteousness. Spiritual practice for the sake of society includes assisting humanity in understanding and practicing Spirituality according to the five basic principles of Spirituality and living a righteous life. Hence, God functions to a much greater extent through them. Consequently, they are actively involved in the subtle battle and are guiding seekers to fight this evil at a spiritual level. All persons and subtle bodies below 30% spiritual level, with high ego, those engaged in criminal, terrorist activities, those perpetrating sexual offences and denigrators of deities or symbols of worship and reverence etc. fight on the side of evil forces. Religious fundamentalists think they fight on God's side and indulge in (religious) terrorism but they too come under evil forces. As a part of this subtle battle, higher level ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) force the spiritually weaker ancestors' subtle bodies to make use of their give-and-take accounts with their ‘good’ descendants, to trouble them.
8. When was the first battle between good and evil fought?
The lifespan of the universe is divided into 4 eras i.e. Satyayuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga and Kaliyuga. The current era we live in, is the last era of the universe and is called the Era of Strife (Kaliyuga) and it will last for 432,000 years. We are currently 5,500 years into this era. (Refer to the picture below).
In each era there are smaller cycles of Satyayuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga and Kaliyuga. Each small era cycle is further sub-divided into even smaller four eras. This sub-division of mini-cycles within mini-cycles re-occurs until it is six levels deep. The smallest mini-cycle lasts for a period of about 1000 years. The figure of 1000 is as per the time calculation in present times. For example, a corresponding mini-cycle in Satyayuga era would be much longer. This is because Satyayuga was an era which had a very high subtle sattva component. One of the characteristics of sattva is expansiveness, whereas that of tama is decay. Hence one year of Kaliyuga would essentially mean many more years in Satyayuga.
At the beginning of creation the balance was 100% in favour of the good forces as the demonic forces were only in latent/seed form. This is because in the first era, i.e. Satyayuga, all of mankind was engaged in spiritual practice. In fact, their entire life was spent with the attitude that every aspect of their life is spiritual practice itself and of service to God. When the mini-kaliyuga in the last mini-cycle of Satyayuga began, the total number of evildoers on Earth became more than 2% of the entire population. The subtle tama component was high enough for the evil forces, i.e. ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) to strike their claim to supremacy. This was the first battle between the good and evil forces and it was waged at the end of this mini-cycle kaliyuga in the last mini-cycle of the Satyayuga.
9. The present subtle battle
The present era we live in is the kaliyuga, part of the kaliyuga, part of the kaliyuga, part of the kaliyuga, part of the kaliyuga, part of the main Kaliyuga. We are therefore living in the darkest part of this mini-cycle of the main Kaliyuga era where materialism, lack of Spirituality and selfishness of man has reached its peak. All these are representative of an increase in the tama component in people.
In 2006 the balance between the good and evil forces is in the ratio of 70:30. Presently evildoers in society have reached the 30% mark. For this part of the era, this means that the sattva component has hit rock bottom. It is something akin to a share market where when the index goes below a psychological barrier we say that the share market has bottomed out.
One may ask, “If the balance is currently 70 to 30 in favour of good then how can there be a problem?” After all, it contradicts the last paragraph under point one which states that the majority of the people of the world are evil.The answer is that most of the good forces are in the higher regions of the universe. In these high planes of existence they are so one with the non-manifest form (nirgun) of God that they maintain an observer attitude. The evil forces take advantage of this state of the good forces and set themselves up to strike and establish supremacy on Earth.
In the current times, mankind is at the threshold of witnessing a historic change from the mini era of kaliyuga to the mini era of satyayuga within the main era of Kaliyuga. This change of era will also bring about a means of cleansing the planet of tama predominant people and elements.
Unknown to most of mankind, in the years 1999 – 2006, a major battle of good versus evil has taken place in the subtle regions. In the past decade, this subtle battle has also manifested a little in the physical Earth plane. We have seen an increase in intensity of natural disasters, rampant wars and anti-social activity. The primary reason for this is because of the increase in the subtle tama component that is associated with evil i.e. ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) and a society that lacks in spiritual practice and a lifestyle of Righteousness.
9.1 Details of the present subtle battle of good versus evil
Starting from the year 1999, the battle between good versus evil has been intensifying in the subtle regions. Deities and Saints have been fighting this battle against very powerful forces of evil i.e. ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) in the subtle world. Basically this fighting by the good forces is totally in the subtle and takes place at the ' level of existent power'. The level of existent power can be understood by the analogy of the Sun. Everyday when the Sun rises, the flowers bloom. The Sun does not ask or make the flowers bloom. It happens automatically by the very presence of the Sun. Similarly by their very existence the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Saints and deities, through their divine consciousness that is transmitted continuously, fight the battle.
The Seekers of God doing spiritual practice for the sake of society participate in the battle with their little might. When they spread the awareness of Spirituality within society as part of their spiritual practice they are attacked by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.). Seekers of God are able to overcome these attacks by the use of spiritual healing methods as well as through their spiritual power gained through spiritual practice and blessings and grace of God.
The forces of evil in the subtle world also possess and give energy to the anti-social elements on the Earth plane as shown in the diagram below. The result is when we switch on the news on television we see a world that is increasingly chaotic with lack of morality, insane behaviour, rampant terrorism and wars.
Since most people do not understand the spiritual cause or perspective behind the chaotic present times, they try to rectify the situation through physical means such as waging a war against terrorism, etc. or psychologically by having conventions, summits etc. However this is not the solution. Basically as all the anti-social elements are powered by (i.e. are puppets of) the subtle evil forces, it is not possible to annihilate or overcome them by physical or psychological means. Even if the worst of the anti-social elements on Earth were to be eliminated, ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) would simply possess yet another anti-social element giving them their spiritual power. This spiritual power is far more powerful than any physical power.
The subtle battle was at its peak in 2006 and it will slowly begin to subside in the subsequent years as the subtle forces of good overwhelm the forces of evil. The anti-social elements that were initially getting their energy from sorcerers among the ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) in the subtle, will no longer have access to that spiritual energy. As a result, the anti-social elements on Earth and the rest of mankind that is being possessed and affected will reduce. Due to this they will be overcome.
This will be followed by a physical war affecting the entire globe. The battle in the physical is also required to annihilate all the evil persons and elements from the face of the Earth. In the major physical battle that will ensue in the coming years along with increase in natural disasters the world population will decrease considerably. The scale of the physical battle will be unlike anything one has seen before and entire mankind will be affected. People with a lower spiritual level i.e. below 30% are more likely to be adversely affected in this change. Those who are evil will be wiped out as they will be fighting on the side of the evil. Those who are sitting on the fence, i.e. neither on the evil nor on the good side will also be wiped out in the crossfire.
9.2 What happens after the battle
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For Demonic Forces:
After the battle when the subtle demonic forces have been conclusively subjugated, they will stop fighting and go away to undertake rigorous spiritual practice to regain spiritual strength so that they can stake their claim of supremacy on the universe yet again. Also as a result of the demonic forces being overcome, a period of sattva predominance will follow on Earth and all the regions above Bhuvaloka. The mini-Satyayuga known as the Divine Kingdom will begin. This era is ushered in at all the regions above Earth first and then comes on to the Earth as well.
• For mankind
We are in the midst of a watershed in the history of mankind. After the physical battle, there will be a period of trial and error as the world adjusts to the new world order and picks up the pieces. During this time, the potential to run the Divine Kingdom will be generated in the surviving people. This will continue till the year 2022. After this period of flux, humanity will experience almost a thousand years of peace. In the new era, there will be renewed spiritual awakening and flourishing of disciplines such as the science of Ayurveda, hitherto unaccepted as a mainstream science by the world.
It is important to note that these thousand years will be the last divine era in the universe. The sattva component generated in this era will be all the that will be available to mankind till the end of the universe some 400,000 years later. There will be no fresh generation of the subtle basic sattva component after these thousand years as the universe will slowly go downhill towards tama and hence its inevitable dissolution.
Among all the planes of existence in the universe, the Earth region is most conducive to spiritual practice. Unfortunately when the period of peace and prosperity ensues, over time mankind gets lost in worldly pleasures and forgets about spiritual practice. As a result of this the sattvikta starts declining. Consequently there is a progressive rise in unrighteousness that further decreases the sattvikta and increases the raja-tama. This decline in sattva and increase in raja-tama affects all the regions. Though it affects the subtle regions only fractionally, even that marginal decline in sattva component causes severe distress to the good subtle bodies in the regions above Bhuvaloka who are used to uniform high sattva levels at all times.
10. The spiritual significance of the current times
One aspect of spiritual practice is to transcend the basic subtle components, i.e. one has to progress from the raja-tama present status to raja to sattva and finally transcend even beyond sattva. During the period before the onset of the universe, the three basic subtle components are present in equal proportions, i.e. they nullify or balance each other. At all times after the universe came into existence, a particular subtle basic component has been predominant. For example in Satyayuga, the sattva component was predominant and now in Kaliyuga it is the raja-tama component that is predominant.
It is beneficial to undertake spiritual practice during twilight periods such as sunset, sunrise and an eclipse. The reason is that during this period the three subtle components of sattva, raja and tama are in equal proportions as in the pre-universe times. Due to this it becomes easier to undertake spiritual practice to advance to a state beyond these three subtle basic components. As God is beyond these three basic components, by going beyond them ourselves, we merge into God which is the ultimate purpose in spiritual growth.
The period between the years 1999 – 2022 represents a twilight period between two eras as we move from a darker age (mini-kaliyuga) to a better one (mini-satyayuga) within the main era of Kaliyuga. During this twilight period of 23 years, any spiritual practice undertaken by one according to the basic principles of Spirituality will benefit one immensely.
In fact, each year of spiritual practice in these 23 ‘twilight’ years is equal to 50 years during the course of an era. Taking adulthood to be about 50 years in an average human’s lifespan; spiritual practice undertaken in these 23 years would approximately be equivalent to 1000 years.
His Holiness Dr. Jayant Balaji Athavale
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 02:42:28 AM
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The practice of Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection," is the most ancient and direct stream of wisdom within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet. It is a path at once simple and profound, one that can be integrated with ordinary life and practiced anywhere.
There is a danger,however, called in the tradition “losing the Action in the View.” A teaching as high and powerful as Dzogchen entails an extreme risk. Deluding yourself that you are liberating your thoughts and emotions, when in fact you are nowhere near able to do so, and thinking that you are acting with the spontaneity of a true Dzogchen yogi, all you are doing is simply accumulating vast amounts of negative karma. As Padmasambhava says, and this is the attitude we all should have:
"Though my View is as spacious as the sky, my actions and respect for cause and effect are as fine as grains of flour."
The tradition of Dzogchen is one of extreme precision, since the deeper you go, the subtler the deceptions that can arise, and what is at stake is the knowledge of absolute reality. Even after the introduction, the masters clarify in detail the states that are not Dzogchen meditation and must not be confused with it.
In one of these states you drift into a no man's land, where there are no thoughts or memories; it is dark, dull, indifferent state, where you are plunged onto the ground of the ordiary mind.
In a second state there is some stillness and slight clarity, but the state of stillness is a stagnant one, still buried in the ordinary mind.
In a third you experience an absence of thoughts, but are 'spaced out' in a vacant state of wonder.
In a fourth you mind wanders away, hankering after thoughts and projections.
None of these are the true state of meditation, and the practitioner has to watch out skillfully to avoid being deluded in these ways.
The essence of meditation practice in Dzogchen is encapsualted by these four points:
When one past thought has ceased and a future thought has not yet arisen, in that gap, in between, isn't there a consciousness of the present moment; fresh, virgin, unaltered by even a hair's breadth of concept, a luminous, naked awareness?
However if you do not recognize this thought for what it really is, the very instant it arises, then it will turn into just another ordinary thought, as before. This is called the "chain of delusion," and is the root of samsara.
If you are able to recognize the true nature of the thought as soon as it arises, and leave it alone without any followup, then whatever thoughts that arise all automatically dissolve back into the vast expanse of Consciousness and are liberated.
The Four Faults:
Why is it that people should find it so difficult even to conceive the depth and glory of the nature of mind? Why does it seem to many such an outlandish and improbable idea?
The teachings speak of four faults, which prevent us from realizing the nature of mind right now:
1. The nature of minds is too close to be recognized. Just as we are unable to see our own face, mind finds it difficult to look into it's own nature.
2. It is too profound for us to fathom. We have no idea how deep it can be. If we did, we would have already realized it to a certain extent.
3. It is too easy for us to believe. In reality, all we need do is simply to rest in the naked, pure awareness of the nature of mind, which is always present.
4. It is too wonderful for us to accomadate. The sheer immensity of it is too vast to fit into our narrow way of thinking. We just can't believe it. Nor can we possibly imagine that Enlightenment is the real nature of our minds.
Purification practices, called Ngondro in Tibetan, have been skillfully designed to effect a comprehensive inner transformation. They involve the entire being - body, speech, and mind - and begin with a series of deep contemplations on:
1)the uniqueness of human life
2)the ever presence of impermanence and death
3)the infallibility of the cause and effect of our actions
4)the vicious cycle of frustration and suffering that is samsara
These reflections inspire a strong sense of "renunciation," an urgent desire to emerge from samsara and follow the path of liberation, which forms the foundation for the specific practices.
Sogyal Rinpoche
OM Mani Padme Hum!
Doc
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 10 2007 03:08:24 AM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 7:37:51 PM
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Driving Out Demons
If one learns while performing meditation to stop and concentrate oneself behind one’s body — one may insert the palm of a hand of consciousness in it and eliminate all energetic disharmonies.
Also, if one is merged with the Holy Spirit and concentrates at about 2 meters behind one’s body, — then from this position one becomes capable of seeing and controlling demons (non-incarnate people or animals with evil character traits) that may be living in human bodies.
If one looks in this manner through one’s own body at the body of a possessed person, it becomes possible to talk to these demons, which cannot ignore the Holy Spirit’s questions and must respond. They will tell why God sent them into the body of this person: what his fault is and what karmic liabilities he has.
If the patient realizes his problems, repents and improves — one may ask the spirits (in a kind way!) to move to some other place, where they would feel good...in the conditions auspicious for them etc.
All spirits are under control of the Holy Spirit and have to obey Him. But in order to succeed in this type of healing we should not leave the state of the Holy Spirit.
But complete mergence with the Holy Spirit can be achieved only through mastering the “total reciprocity” meditation. While performing this meditation consciousness gets into the state of “not-I”, while becoming All; the individual lower self vanishes as a result.
It is impossible to explain it with words. But this state can be easily attained at appropriate “places of power”.
Vladimir Antonov
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 7:53:27 PM
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Namaste to All!
Meditation, especially passive meditation, brings us face to face with our subconscious. Not unlike opening up a Pandora's box full of mischief, if we are not ready to encounter our inner selves, it could end up being a disastrous experience instead of an enlightening one! And the most vulnerable seem to be-people with overwhelming anxiety, who are emotionally or psychologically disturbed, those who have problems accepting reality, people who suffer from acute paranoia and even those who develop delusions of grandeur from the altered states of consciousness that meditation tends to produce.
To avoid such psychosis or simply getting lost in our thoughts and ending up confused and disturbed, it is necessary to begin meditation sessions with formal practice. Different schools of thought prescribe different methods of such preparation, but they all agree on the absolute necessity of concentration exercises preceding meditation. These preparation techniques are as varied as praying, chanting mantras, performing pranayama or even visualizing. Once the mind becomes trained for concentration, actual formless or mindfulness meditation can proceed, such as sitting in silence, practicing self-inquiry or performing devotional meditation.
While Hinduism-based schools of thought insist on a proper sattvic (pure or ascetic) lifestyle as a primary condition to true meditation, Buddhist mindfulness meditation prescribes contemplation on the 'Four Protections' and the 'Nine Attributes' of the Buddha.
A helpful tip to keep in mind would be that ultimately meditation is all about being at peace with oneself. It cannot perform miracles out of thin air. It does not solve problems magically. It's simply a technique, which acquaints you with the person you really are. And having gained that timeless knowledge, it is you who will take that first step towards self-transformation. Remember always that the technique of meditation is nothing more than a tool in your hands!
Life Positive
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 11:01:10 PM
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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
INNER JIHAD: STRIVING TOWARD HARMONY
By Dr. Shahid Athar
With gratitude to Dr. Athar for permission to reprint this.
Muslims for centuries have engaged themselves and the world in pursuit of inner Jihad. This has been their way of getting closer to their Creator, achieving inner peace and getting closer to God's creations. Unless we are at peace with ourselves, we can not have peace with the Creator and vice versa.
The word Jihad is from the Arabic root word JHD which basically means striving or struggle. The question is striving for what or a struggle for what? The struggle is of two types, one is inner and one is outer. Both have the same purpose which is to change the status quo - a status which is not in line with God's will or not in line with nature as such, a status which causes unrest and disturbance.
Thus, if there is an evil temptation for wrong doing and we struggle very hard to overcome that temptation, it is striving in the cause of God and is considered one of the best forms of Jihad. Thus if there is a tyrant ruler who is oppressing people and one stands up to that tyrant and says a word of truth against his rule it is also one form of Jihad.
In [the] Sufi tradition, the self is the enemy and conquering the self is overpowering the enemy and one of the best forms of Jihad. Unfortunately, the West describes Jihad as a holy war which is a wrong translation. If one translates holy war back to Arabic, the translation would be harb-e-maqadas or sacred war. Thus, holy war is not Jihad as such.
In fact, the word holy war came from the crusade when this call was made to the crusaders by then the Pope Urban to unite them to fight against "infidels" who were occupying the birth place of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him). Yet, it is true that one form of Jihad, that is the external form, can be described as taking up arms in defense of Islam and Muslims when they are attacked by external forces. But, this form of Jihad can only be declared by a head of the Islamic state who is a practicing Muslim or a consensus of Islamic Ulema or Scholars when they agree on a clear-cut threat on Islam or on Muslims by external forces. If a call for Jihad is made by a non-practicing Muslim ruler then [the] Muslim masses are not to heed such call.
Coming back to the inner Jihad, which is the Jihad and the most important part of Jihad, I must say that there are two forces within us operating all the time in opposite directions. One is inviting us to do good and the other inviting us to do evil. These opposing forces are trying to take over our hearts and our minds which have control over our actions to go in their direction.
The inner Jihad is overcoming the forces of evil by the forces of good and the triumph of one over the other. Because, if the forces of evil, which insight us to do wrong doings are not overpowered the man will be destroyed internally and will be tempted to destroy his surroundings externally. God in His ultimate wisdom is with the forces of good and therefore He associates Jihad with listening to Him. In translation, [the] Qur'an says, "Those who believe, who strive in the cause of God with their wealth and their persons, are the ones who are successful."
So, the winner is not the human being who overcomes the wrong temptations but the winner is God in this inner Jihad. If we do not submit to the will of God then we are submitting to the will of the devil and the winner is the hunter who overtakes our souls at that moment of wrongdoing.
Thus, harmony is the creation of a peaceful bliss within our souls so that we achieve a state of peace to make us worthy of entrance into Heaven. As [the] Qur'an says: "O, soul at peace, return to thy Lord well pleased and well pleasing. Return as His servant, return to His Heaven." When we are successful in inner Jihad and have subdued the devil or the forces within us inviting us to do wrong, then we are not only at peace and a level of surrender and allow God to carry on our tasks and fulfill His mission. Even those folks who rely only on external Jihad as a mission from God without having achieved inner Jihad first must ask themselves if they are at peace.
There is no promise of peace for those who take the lives of the innocent thinking that they are doing a holy war which is not holy. In this regard, Muslims have a great role to play in removing misconceptions about Jihad as it prevails in the media and give its true meaning which is peaceful inner struggle.
Peace and Blessings of God be upon you. May God receive our prayers. Amin.
Doc
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 01:59:14 AM
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SACRIFICE
Even if we wished to flee from sorrow, in spite of all efforts made by the civilisation and in spite of modern breakthroughs for a more tolerable living, sorrow is ever present in human life.
“Combat and sorrow is the life of man upon the Earth”.
Religions have heightened the concept of sorrow to make it more tolerable. In order to overcome sorrow, certain mentally-conditioned philosophers said sorrow is an illusion, a mirage of the human mind. But sorrow continues to reign constantly in the world.
According to religions, sorrow should be accepted and embraced, and we should conform to it; otherwise, sorrow must be forcefully overcome, defeated and uprooted from the human soul.
“Overcome sorrow sinking in it”.
Sacrifice is the virtue that grants to students the gift of overcoming sorrow by self-knowledge. Sacrifice transforms into sweet nectar the crudest privations and most extended diseases, and even the most intense disorientation within.
Just as a bee transforms the bitter juice of a flower into honey, so the soul, through Sacrifice, transforms human suffering into happiness and glory. Soul is transformed by suffering; the wonderful flower sprouts from thorns.
Certain rites knew this fundamental secret and by mantram and vocal prayer tried to stimulate the devotee to have forces to stand pains of life. Even today, sannyasis of India wear on their necks chains, formed by little seeds, which they pass between their fingers to pray; and Christians have, with the Rosary, a similar practice.
Sacrifice has diverse nuances, diverse forms. It is necessary because of diverse causes and at certain moments. These nuances are also characterised in the...mysteries of comprehension. We are told “mysteries” because the root of sorrow is as large as the root of Eternity; to know the reason of sorrow by means of unitive Sacrifice, is to know the very Eternity.
TEDIUM
A man may have all, and enjoy all goods of life and a perfect health, and travel from on point to another of the Earth; however, at certain time of the day, an importune visitor will come to him: it is the sorrow of human tedium; tiredness of fleeting hours; a vague sensation of something lost for ever; a hidden sense of an unknown evil that may happen at any moment. Who did not experience this feeling?
Even a Saint cannot overcome this deadly enemy: tedium and inner tiredness. To flee from it is to encounter it; to disguise it, to seek crowds and entertainment, is to hold on to it. There is only one remedy to overcome tedium, and this remedy is the Sacrifice of going toward it, of looking at it squarely in the eye, or of studying, analysing and knowing it.
A great mystic said: “My life is continuously open to God, but every day there is a hour when everything becomes darkness around me, when divine consolation and infuse understandings seem to be so far way as if I had not ever known them. In the beginning, this hour is really terrible; but since I have understood that it is the opposite pole of my spiritual life, because I am based upon it to fly higher and higher, I expect it with joy, and at this hour of darkness I enjoy the same pleasure I experience in more glorious hours of light”.
CONTINUOUS CHANGES
The variability of the Universe is source of continuous changes, and man, that by his inner nature tends to be static at the point where he is, bitterly suffers because of these repeated changes.
Today a man loses his youth, tomorrow his material wellbeing, and so on. Friendships change, customs change, cities change. Need separates human beings that love each other, and when this is not by need, it is by death or indifference.
There are changes beyond human possibilities, broken bonds that never shall be re-knotted. For worldly men, these changes and abandonment have to be very bitter, but for a spiritual being these sacrifices become source of really sweet consolation. Flesh still suffers by separation and changes, but this suffering becomes ecstasy, because what you had belongs to you, even if years had passed by, things had changed and beings had died.
THE PAST
We can dispose of many things, but who can dispose of his own past? Moreover, who can dispose of the congenital memory of his past experiences?
The past weights over those beings like a cloak of plumber, with a continuous sorrow; it is the eternal cross that is really difficult to throw away. How many times we hear: “I would wish to be good, but I cannot; my instincts are ever taking me toward what I was!”. How many times the past is an obstacle, even for very avid people to start a spiritual life! And even for those more advanced in the path of perfection, many times the past appears before them like a terrible enemy who, in the form of impulses, memories, calls and relationships with the old life, impedes them to progress as they would wish. Well, but even here the liberating Sacrifice has its proper place. Our surrender in the arms of the Divine Providence is to overcome this sorrow, which is the fruit of past accumulations. Not to fear consequences of yesterday is to prepare a joyful tomorrow, and to erase such harmful memory for our progress. “To remember is to live the past and to be tied to it”.
UNCERTAINTY ABOUT TOMORROW
Not to have always the same orientation in life, in short, the uncertainty about the future, is a continuous suffering for the soul. Seemingly today the soul is in the hand of a happy conqueror; tomorrow, this dream-like king falls headlong and gets discouraged. The reading of a book opens today a new horizon in the mind of the reader, all dark points of the doctrine are elucidated, and tomorrow a new word, a new concept floods again and darkens the mind. Today a man says: “I have conquered the truth”; but tomorrow he shall establish that the truth is far away from him.
Also in daily life one sees so many strange cases: decent men who commit undue actions that, according to them, they have erased for ever from their moral behaviour; every day one sees that men who had chosen the path of virtue and spiritual progress, now turn around and transform themselves into statues of salt.
Before so many facts like that, a soul wonders avidly: “What shall happen with me tomorrow? Shall I arrive at the end of the Work?” Just Sacrifice can elucidate the tomorrow, because he who has left his work in the hands of God never can fall, because it is written: “A person that works for himself already has his own reward and tomorrow cannot claim for anything; but a person that works for Mankind has his reward deposited in the hands of the Lord”.
But, the more I detach my being from self-love and the more I sacrifice myself by renouncing to the fruit of personal satisfaction, the less uncertain my future shall appear.
Master Santiago Bovisio
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 02:29:14 AM
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| Doc, I must thank you for sharing all of this. I have already found so much good food for thought in these words of wisdom! THANK YOU! |
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ajna
India
59 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 08:28:07 AM
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Hi Doc
Thanks for the profound insights. In one place it is mentioned that evil exist in seed form at begininng of creation. I have a sincere question here (which iam sure all of us may have). If God is all powerful and compassionate, and he/she/it created the universe, why was the evil allowed to exist even in seed form. In other words why does the potentiality for doing evil exists. Unless the potentiality exists, nobody will even know that evil exists and therefore everybody will be saints. So i think God is responsible for the all the good as well as evil in the universe and elsewhere. Please note that iam a believer in God. Just that iam curious to know.
Cheers |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 09:49:52 AM
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Thanks, guys! I love sharing these writings. Thanks for reading them, and for giving me some feedback on posting them.
The questions you present have engaged the human mind since the dawn of time, and are obviously not easily answered. Many consider such points of consideration to be Divine Mysteries, which we can truly only know upon re-establing a living Union with God...either here or hereafter.
In the meantime, perhaps some further insights can be gleaned from the writings at hand...combined with our continuing prayers and meditation toward that goal. 
Hari OM!
Doc |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 10:10:27 AM
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Kabbalah and Psychology
Good and Evil
Kabbalah conceives of good and evil as opposite poles on the continuum of morality. This means that any situation or entity in life contains elements of both good and evil. Man's ability to safely descend down the moral continuum towards the pole of evil in order to transform it to good is a function of how strongly he is anchored in the upper regions of the continuum, near the pole of good. When he is firmly anchored in good, that is, he feels close in his relationship with G-d, he is not afraid to uncover any evil within himself or the world, and its discovery does not pose a threat to his overall belief in the eventual triumph of goodness and holiness.
Man's animal nature pulls him relentlessly toward the pole of evil away from consciousness of G-d, while his Divine soul pulls him toward the pole of good. The spirit of man ascends upward, but the spirit of the animal descends below, to earth. His ability to stay anchored in goodness thus depends on his success in giving his Divine soul precedence over his animal soul.
In the Talmud we are told of four sages, Rabbi Akiva and three of his pupils who engaged in mystical meditative techniques and ascended to transcendent realms of Divine consciousness. Ben Azzai gazed [upon the Divine glory] and died; of him Scripture [prophetically] states: Dear in the estimation of G-d is the death of His pious ones. Psalms 116:15. Ben Zoma gazed and lost his mind; of him Scripture states: You have found honey; eat [no more than] your fill, lest you become full and vomit it out. Proverbs 25:16. The other one [Elisha ben Avuyah, gazed and] became a heretic. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace.
It is explained in Kabbalah that each of these sages attempted to rectify the sin of Adam and its effect on the world. Before the sin, good and evil existed in two separate realms and they were not intermixed in any way. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, good and evil became intermixed, and the moral continuum referred to above was created.
The mistake of Elisha ben Avuyah was that he tried to rectify the sin by dealing directly with evil and neglected to anchor himself first in good. Focusing entirely on the evil in the world, he lost the ability to reconcile its existence with a benevolent, caring G-d. The questions posed by evil were too great for him; he concluded that there is no G-d and became a heretic.
It is told that he observed someone who asked his son to climb a tree and bring him some nestlings. The son, who obliged, was fulfilling two commandments of the Torah at once: honoring his parent Exodus 20:12 and sending away a mother bird from its nest before taking its young. Deuteronomy 5:16. The reward promised for both of these commandments is long life, but the son accidentally fell from the tree and died. The anomaly was too much for Elisha ben Avuyah to bear.
Rabbi Akiva, in contrast, sought to rectify the sin of Adam by emphasizing the good and overcoming evil indirectly. Although he did not ultimately succeed, he nonetheless was able to emerge unscathed from the attempt. Since he remained fixed to the consciousness of G-d s goodness, the evil in the world did not constitute a contradiction for him.
He maintained this perspective until the end of his life. When caught teaching the Torah during the Hadrianic persecutions, he was sentenced to death. While the Romans were raking his flesh with iron combs, he recited the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is One", the declaration of the unity of G-d. He prolonged his recitation of the word "One" until he expired while saying it. The existence of evil did not pose any questions to his faith; rather, his faith was so strong that he was able to feel close to G-d even while his flesh was being raked with iron combs.
Baruch Shem Elohim La-Olam! Amin.
Doc
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 10:22:10 AM
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The final answer to the problem of evil for the individual resides in the Spirit of God which indwells the human mind. Although we live in a world where Immanent Intelligence is detected by inference, where knowledge of God is mediated through all reality, we know him personally only through inner experience. By faith and spiritual fellowship we establish a God-Consciousness and a living partnership with the Universal Father.
As we then face the problems and perplexities of life we are aided by divine wisdom. When suffering and tragedy enter our experience and we have exhausted our own ability to cope, an augmented inner peace, a new understanding, a fresh combination of resources undergird our life.
Those who establish this inner relationship are invulnerable to life's most crushing blows. They are learning "to feast upon uncertainty, to fatten upon disappointment, to enthuse over apparent defeat, to invigorate in the presence of difficulties, to exhibit indomitable courage in the face of immensity, and to exercise unconquerable faith when confronted with the challenge of the inexplicable.
They are discovering that "in liaison with God, nothing--absolutely nothing--is impossible." (The Urantia Book, p.291)
Doc
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 11 2007 10:36:25 AM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 4:56:34 PM
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Mara–The Tempter
[Reprinted from THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT]
The enemies which rise within the body,
Hard to be overcome—the evil passions—
Should manfully be fought; who conquers these
Is equal to the conqueror of worlds.
—Kiratarjuniya of Bharavi
The only Devil which the Ancient Wisdom recognizes abides within man, not outside of him. The horned Devil of popular Christian belief is but a graphic symbol, a poetic personification of human evil and wickedness. So also the Mara of exoteric Buddhism. H.P.B. explains that Mara is "personified temptation through men's vices, and translated literally means 'that which kills' the Soul"; it is symbolized as a King in whose crown shines the jewel of fascination, blinding those who look at it.
The power of evil, of human weaknesses and vices, lies in its temptations. To make more graphic the activities of these temptations spiritual teachers have had recourse to the device of personification. Thus the Devil, Mara, Ahriman, are personified; orthodox religions have personalized and carnalized them.
From the time man became a thinking entity, he has been, and is even now, the vehicle of a dual force—good and evil; and these are at eternal strife in him. The problem of this dual force so intimately touches our life that its solution becomes for us the starting point of the quest for Truth and Wisdom.
Though evil exists in all, as the opposing power to active goodness, and though at the present stage of evolution it seems to be gaining the upper hand owing to man's ego-ship or selfishness, yet many aspire to eschew evil and to do good. But Paul-like they give way to weaknesses and vicious tendencies against their well-formed intentions and resolves. Many are left bewildered as to how this comes about, for the meaning of Temptation is not really comprehended. Even students of Theosophy, who speak of "the nefarious influence of the Astral Light," seldom understand the real import of these words.
The earnest and persevering aspirant must learn the art of resisting temptation, of overcoming the spell of fascination that Mara, the Great Ensnarer, has cast over him. Ordinary evils of ordinary lives are a very different proposition from the precipitated evils in the life of Chelaship. Persistent treading of the Inner Path that leads to Adeptship ultimately brings one to that stage when the whole force of evil power is arrayed against the good end he has set before him.
The very act of trying to conquer the inner foe with the help of the Higher Self stirs up the slumbering Tanhaic elementals. These, sensing instinctively the danger to themselves, coalesce to become one composite entity and to overthrow if possible the would-be Adept of Light. The neophyte has to drive it out of his system and face it objectively as his own Elementary. Not till he destroys that Elementary by the power of the Inner Ego is he safe; for, if this "thing of darkness" is allowed to gather strength, it will eject the Ego, usurping its place, ultimately producing the phenomenon of the "Soul-less" man. In Hindu Esotericism this human elemental in the devotee is named Papa-Purusha, the man of sin.
This light shines from the Jewel of the Great Ensnarer (Mara). The senses it bewitches, blinds the mind, and leaves the unwary an abandoned wreck. (pp. 8-9)
Strive with thy thoughts unclean before they overpower thee. Use them as they will thee, for if thou sparest them and they take root and grow, know well, these thoughts will overpower and kill thee. Beware, Disciple, suffer not, e'en though it be their shadow, to approach. For it will grow, increase in size and power, and then this thing of darkness will absorb thy being before thou hast well realized the black foul monster's presence. (p. 13)
The ladder by which the candidate ascends is formed of rungs of suffering and pain; these can be silenced only by the voice of virtue....Woe unto him who dares pollute one rung with miry feet. The foul and viscous mud will dry, become tenacious, then glue his feet unto the spot; and like a bird caught in the wily fowler's lime, he will be stayed from further progress. His vices will take shape and drag him down. His sins will raise their voices like as the jackal's laugh and sob after the sun goes down; his thoughts become an army, and bear him off a captive slave. (pp. 16-17)
Such a fearful and dangerous experience the beginner is not likely to encounter. In most men and women the force of evil circulates as an an inchoate mass. It is the resolve to displace it, taken by the earnest and devoted practitioner of the Theosophic life, that awakens it to life. In the candidate for Adeptship, there rages an ever-strengthening struggle against the "man of sin" within.
It is to this that 'The Voice of the Silence' refers when it says: "The more thou dost advance, the more thy feet pitfalls will meet." The Great Ensnarer draws the aspirant to the three Gates of Hell—the domain of Mara, the Devil. Kama, Kridha, Lobha—Lust, Wrath, Greed—develop in him, colouring the mental consciousness to such an extent that time and again the would-be-Adept forgets his mission; nay, more, allows the Inner Ego to be driven out. Therefore we are told: "Ere thou canst near the goal...thou must have mastered all the mental changes in thy Self and slain the army of the thought sensations that, subtle and insidious, creep unasked within the Soul's bright shrine."
No devoted and persevering aspirant can escape special tests in the shape of subtle temptations. Each has to pass through the "portal of assembling" where "Maha Mara stands trying to blind the candidate by the radiance of his 'Jewel.'" To prepare himself for the future, the student-aspirant of today is called upon to get his "mental luggage" ready.
The beginner's duty to himself, to the race and to the Cause he has resolved to serve requires that he make it his first concern to fight Lust, Wrath and Greed in the small affairs of everyday life. His present efforts to purify himself will aid him later when he has to face the Great Tests. Let him control these forces now, at the very start, when they are isolated, even though very strong. Once they coalesce and become one, as sooner or later they will, the subduing of the Personified Temptation which kills the Soul will prove to be an infinitely more difficult undertaking. Forewarned is forearmed!
The Secret Doctrine merely asserts that a system, known as the Wisdom Religion, the work of generations of adepts and seers, the sacred heirloom of pre-historic times—actually exists, though hitherto preserved in the greatest secrecy by the present Initiates; and it points to various corroborations of its existence to this very day, to be found in ancient and modern works. Giving a few fragments only, it there shows how these explain the religious dogmas of the present day, and how they might serve Western religions, philosophies and sciences, as sign-posts along the untrodden paths of discovery. The work is essentially fragmentary, giving statements of sundry facts taught in the esoteric schools—kept, so far, secret—by which the ancient symbolism of various nations is interpreted. It does not even give the keys to it, but merely opens a few of the hitherto secret drawers.
—H. P. Blavatsky
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2007 : 8:44:30 PM
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The Five Parts of the Soul
The human soul was created in a unique manner. All other creations were formed through command, God declared and the item appeared. For example, of the sky Scripture states, “Bidvar Hashem shamayim naasu” “With the word(s) of God Heavens were created”. The soul was not commanded to emerge rather God blew man’s soul into him.
God does not recite words. What is meant by the image of God declaring the existence of a physical dimension? Breath is the life of a person. Human speech limits breath, modulating it with the mouth and limiting it to particular sounds. Speech is a process in which the essence of man is clothed and limited. God’s creation resembles human speech, the created world is a cover for God, His Essence was limited many myriad of times until He was clothed within the world.
The image for the creation of the soul is one of direct breath, for the soul contrasted to the created world is like blowing versus speaking. The human soul, when compared to the rest of the created world, is “pure”, essential, and unclothed Divinity. An even deeper truth reveals that the image of a soul emerging out of blowing is a lesson about the parts of the soul, they resemble the different stages of breath a glassblower employs when blowing glass. With glass once the vessel is shaped the other steps in the process are lost but in the Heavenly realm every stage of the formation leaves eternal results.
Firstly, the glassblower wishes to create a vessel. Then he decides what the vessel will look like and prepares for the process by filling his lungs with sufficient air. The glassblower then pushes the air through his lungs to his mouth and releases the breath out of his lips. The breath turns into a mini wind. It enters the heated glass and changes its form. As the wind settles the glass’s shape is solidified.
God is the glassblower, my soul is His breath and my body and personality comprise the glass vessel.
There are five parts to the soul and they resemble the five stages of glass production:
The first part or the lowest level is Nefesh corresponding to the craftsman’s breath that settled within and fully shaped the vessel. Nefesh is a derivative of the term nafash meaning to rest. Nefesh is the “resting soul.” This is God’s “breath” once it has reached its destination within man. Nefesh can be felt when a person is fully a vessel. It can be felt through the quietistic experience. Silence the external static that we are constantly processing; relax, and humble yourself.
Open your heart as an empty vessel to be animated with God’s light and you might feel a bit of Nefesh… Nefesh is the part of the soul that is most directly connected with the body and physical existence. One merits receiving the holy form of Nefesh soon after birth. A Jewish boy will receive his Nefesh with his circumcision and a girl when her father names her in the synagogue.
The next stage of the soul, Ruach, is received with adulthood. When a boy or girl, who are righteous, celebrate their bar or bat Mitzvah they receive their Ruach. The Hebrew word ruach conjures a picture of a forceful wind. In the glass making analogy, before the breath settled in the vessel, it was a powerful force that gave form to molten glass. Forceful and emotionally stirring spirituality is God’s “wind”, the Ruach part of the soul.
Imagine a room filled with dancing Chassidim. They are singing and when they reach the climax of the song, all are screaming, “Ki ata hu melech malchey hamlakhim malkhuskha netzach” “That you God are the King above all kings; Your rule is eternal.” Their eyes are closed and their bodies bob up and down throbbing with devotion. They pull you into their circle and you join their dance. You lose yourself in a passionate swirl. You feel that God is everything and your deepest desire is to be loyal and close to Him. Those feelings are an expression of Ruach.
A level higher than the wind is the breath at the lips of the glassblower. God’s breath at His Lips is the Neshama. This level of soul is felt in the experience of pure thought. Most of our thoughts are tainted, they are the result of physical biases and emotional inclinations; pure, abstract, moral thought is an experience of Godly intimacy. The pleasure of comprehending and fully grasping the pure truth of Torah is a bit of Neshama. Neshama is the highest part of the soul most of us will ever fully internalize, as a result the soul as a whole is called Neshama . It enters a righteous, scholarly, married person at age twenty. If one is not righteous enough to internalize the holiness of the Neshama, it will hover above man, serving as a Makif- an encompassing light, not a pnimi – an inner light.
Above Neshama are two levels of soul that are rarely fully internalized by humans, Chaya and Yechida.
Chaya is the breath of the glassblower before it reaches the mouth, it is the stage when he has first determined the mental picture of the vessel he will create and has filled his lungs with sufficient breath for the creation of the vessel.
Yechida is the first possible stage of glass making, the will and desire to produce a vessel, it is the level of soul that parallels God’s decision to create a being. Yechida is God’s will before He has even conceived of the form of man, it represents God’s desire.
The Body and the Parts of the Soul
The different parts of the soul are concentrated in distinct body organs. Nefesh is in the blood. The Torah characterizes blood as Nefesh when it prohibits the ingestion of blood, “Ki hadam hu hanefesh”, “for the blood is the Nefesh.” The blood of a person is his source of organic life. If blood stops flowing to a limb in the body, the limb will atrophy and waste away. The body part that has the most blood is the liver and Nefesh is primarily concentrated in the liver and the left ventricle of the heart. The limbs of the body are the tools for all human action, thus bodily action, Maaseh, of Mitzvos, such as stretching your hand to give charity, or walking to hear a Torah lecture, is an expression of Nefesh.
According to the Midrash, Ruach is the part of the soul that “rises and descends.” This soul part rises to the mind and then descends to the body, connecting our thought with our deeds.
What is the intermediary between the mind and the limbs? Feelings. All emotions stem from Ruach. It is also related to dibbur, speech, a wind that connects the mind’s thoughts to the physical mouth. Speech also connects people to each other. Speech primarily strengthens the emotions that you are feeling. Why do words have such an impact on the heart? Because emotions and speech are expressions of Ruach while an act is a manifestation of Nefesh. Our emotions usually dictate how we act, thus, Ruach is usually the deciding part of the human personality. It is concentrated in the heart - the source of all emotions. Feelings of purity, such as fear of violating Divine mandates, or love for fellow Jews, are expressions of Ruach.
Neshama is located primarily in the mind. The Neshama is the most Godly of the soul parts. It is pure intellect. One feels God’s “breath”, with Machshava, pure thoughts, such as when you fully understand an abstract, correct, and moral principle.
Chaya and Yechida are called Makifin, enveloping lights. These are levels of holiness that are hardly attainable for most mortals. That is why they surround man and do not enter man. They form a protecting shield and occasionally send to the individual flashes of inspiration. Since these levels of soul are outside man’s essential personality they are not internalized within a physical body part.
The most perfect hierarchy within man is one in which the Neshama rules the Ruach and Nefesh. Obey the clear voice of pure thought, then allow clear logic to inspire emotions and finally let pure emotions control the body and guide its lusts.
In symbolic terms the ideal arrangement is mind then heart and then liver. God teaches this lesson by the very makeup of a human being. God placed mind (which holds the Neshama) in the skull, the highest point of the body, the heart (the place of Ruach) and liver(the seat of the Nefesh) are beneath the head, thus indicating that the head should rule the others.
The Hebrew terms for mind, heart, and liver are moach (mind), lev (heart) and kaved (liver). An acronym of the terms is Melech – literally king. When man lives a life of mind first and then heart and liver, he is king over his lower self. Frequently, we reverse the order. Our lusts lead.
For example, we desire someone else’s money, or we are lazy and seek to avoid performing a moral duty, we then arouse our heart to love that path and we employ our mind to rationalize and justify misbehavior, saying, “He did not need that money anyway, I will use it for better purposes than he,” or “The duty will be performed by someone else, I can safely ignore it.” In these instances our livers were really first, followed by the heart and then the mind. The first letters of Kaved, Lev, Moach,(the reversed order) spell Kalem, which means embarrassment, shame, and death. A life in which lusts rule inevitably ends with the unholy trinity of embarrassment, shame, and death.
Man does not deserve a life of embarrassment. Man deserves great honor. Man carries the image of God and as a result deserves regard. Lesson nine demonstrates how the five parts of the soul are the image of God that man contains.
'Flames of Faith: An Intro to Chassidic Thought' by Rabbi Zev Reichman
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 6:33:46 PM
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THE SWORD OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM
"Taking up the sword of spiritual wisdom, one struggles with his mind, and eradicates lust, anger and egotism, keeps his hope and desire under control, and destroys his inner thieves, evil passions .
Drawing out the Mighty Sword of God's spiritual wisdom, I slaughter
and kill the poisonous snake of delusion, and drink in the
Sweet Nectar of the Divine Name."
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sikh Founder
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 12 2007 6:40:21 PM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 8:20:11 PM
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The Nature of Evil
Evil, like good, is oftentimes measured in relation to how it impacts us personally. Thus, people will frequently follow the idea that there is such a thing as 'your truth' and 'my truth'. The idea is false and judging evil solely by its consequence is inappropriate and invalid.
In a universal setting, there are only four commandments given their populations. Earth was given ten. The extra six deal expressly and individually with stealing.
Thou shalt not commit murder - not to steal another person's life.
Thou shalt not commit adultery - not to steal the faith and trust of your spouse.
Thou shalt not bear false witness - not to steal the truth.
Thou shalt not steal - not to steal property.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods - not to steal (or lust for) property.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife - not to steal the bonds of matrimony.
The ten commandments form the foundation for all Western Law. Eastern legal systems have equivalents. Most are agreed that these laws are universal and all encompassing.
When evil works, the first theft that occurs is to the truth. Following closely behind is the loss of integrity. Truth and integrity march hand in hand and in their absence, evil flourishes.
Evil, like good, arrives in degrees, great evil, lesser evil, great good, lesser good. An Adolf Hitler can position himself to perpetrate forty million murders in the span of a few years while a Jesus Christ can inspire others to ascension in a lesser span. These two examples form the boundaries
for the practical purposes of this discourse.
Evil usually arrives before an individual as a quiet voice whispering practicalities and pragmatism's to justify the theft of something from one or more. The spouse who professes love while plotting to leave their mate in poor circumstances, the clerk who falsifies the over ring sheet at the cash register because his employer is richer than he, the person who gives little of themselves but feeds like a frenzied shark upon the good natures of others, those who promised loyalty and rewarded the same from others with deceit and betrayal, these are the poor seeds sown in unholy ground that plague not only mankind but the entire universe.
When one indulges evil, he casts aside his integrity. Once lost, it is hard to reacquire for the individual usually seeks not to recognize the truth of their miscreant deeds. Without truth, there can be no integrity and without integrity the path to ascension is but words wasted upon deaf ears.
Evil frequently has many pleasing faces. This is a necessity to enable getting close to you. Once within your acquaintance, evil tests to discover the limits of your integrity. It also looks you over closely to discover your needs. The knowledge of 'need' provides evil with a powerful weapon to make promises to you whilst conspiring to pick your pocket. The wish of a need fulfilled lures many into destructive and damaging circumstances. Perhaps the worst execution of evil is to steal a person's hope.
If we've been victimized by evil, what then should we do and how then should we feel?
As each of us gets older and our brushes with evil have become more frequent, we become scarred like the battle hardened warriors we are forced to become. Can we regret the good done even when the recipient was himself evil?
When we perform acts of charity or kindness for our fellows we have walked in God's Light and I see no regret to be had from this. We also see another of evil's faces and learn from the poor experience. Yet, IF we let our experiences so embitter us that we are willing to cast off our hope - then we have truly been destroyed - beyond salvation.
One must keep sight of the prize - God. At the end of the day, we can look back and say, "I have fought a good fight, I have stayed the course, I have kept the faith."
Do right. Do it as much as you can. Never give up. Never regret the good that is within you.
Unknown Author
Blessed Be All!
Doc |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 11:34:46 PM
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PRAYER AND MEDITATION by Eva Broch Pierrakos
What is the difference between the two? Many people are not quite clear about it. It is always a matter of agreeing upon the meaning of terms. I should like to make the following distinction: Prayer is a preliminary step to meditation. Prayer is a matter of thinking, meditation is prayer with feeling, it engages the soul forces as compared to the thinking forces.
To get to the second and further step you need a certain discipline and concentration which you learn through prayer. Most people are
not used to being spiritually and mentally active, yet one cannot enter into meditation unless one has first learned the preliminary state of concentration. The person who has walked through this first gateway needs above all the insight that nothing can be gained without discipline, regular work, and the best will to give each day some time to get closer to God, to liberate the often dormant and hidden forces of the soul, and find the connection to the rays of Divine Energy.
This can happen only through self-discipline and regular practice,
preferably always at the same time of day. Yet it is not possible to establish a rule valid for everyone without exception. For a few, a more spontaneous way may be better, but only when in spite of this
spontaneity no day is omitted, and solely time and place vary. As a rule, regularity is advantageous.
Human beings have difficulty concentrating. Time and again my friends have experienced that, at first, their thoughts wander, that something mundane gets in the way. Then they become so dismayed that they cannot pick up the thread. As I have often said, it is important not to let these interruptions bother you, and not to get confused and bewildered. Do not ask too much of yourselves right away, but resume your practice in a quiet and relaxed manner. After some time you will succeed in achieving a certain continuity and concentration. This is prayer.
Do not forget, as humans often do, to ask God again and again for help. You do not know how much this will serve you. Why don't you say: "Help me to learn real prayer, or real meditation." At any moment, when you are confused, ask for help. Here, too, the word holds true: "Knock and it shall be opened."
Concentration in prayer is beneficial not only as a training but also because each thought builds a form. With the thoughts of prayer you build harmonious forms, so that the "thoughtprayer" activates favorable energies even before you have learned the "feeling-prayer" or meditation.
Yet thought forms, though they may not have the power of feeling forms, can nevertheless manifest their own greatness when coming from a full heart, without self-deception, rooted in sincere
willpower.
This is the first step on this particular segment of the path: the pure power of thought through concentration in prayer, and the liberation of the feeling currents, which brings about some loosening of the spirit. This then is meditation.
Once you have learned concentration in prayer to some degree, practicing regular self-discipline for this purpose, you may encounter the problem of becoming too mechanical. Now that
you have progressed so far, you find yourself struggling not to fall into the opposite extreme of overdiscipline where prayer becomes a fetter. Then the time has come for you to learn to bring
prayer into the deeper layers of the soul.
At this point, too, helpful tools are available. Prayer, as I said, is in the domain of thinking. It comes from here [pointing to the head], while meditation comes from here [pointing to the chest],
what I call the spiritual field of the human being.
In the solar plexus, a person's entire spiritual picture is imprinted. Those who free the feelings here, and so determine when and how to connect with God, become to a certain degree, master over themselves by overcoming their inner obstacles.
Now you may ask, how could you enter into this vibration? I say: All inner currents diverted into wrong channels create obstacles. All that lies unrecognized and ferments in the subconscious is
an obstacle. Wherever you have difficulties to attune to the vibration, wherever you sense a resistance, you can be sure of unrecognized violations of the laws in your soul. Self-recognition,
self-analysis, and the digging out of these currents are the only means.
Apart from this, one cannot establish any general rules. It varies from one person to the next. You must find the place in yourself where you sense the vibrations. It is not right to expect this to
happen immediately and every time. Once in a while spiritual influences may lift a human being into a higher vibration even when the inner obstacles are still present in the soul, but these influences are rare.
A person should not evade the issue by saying, "I am not always capable to be attuned; I have to be in the mood for that." But the "attunements" should no longer be governed by moods. You need to control them yourself, and this is not possible unless you cultivate systematically your spirit and your development.
You need to become master of yourself, not be mastered by moods and
depend on them for the kind of contact to God which penetrates the entire being. This is the purpose of this path, this is the goal, which, however, you cannot expect to attain right away. On
this path you will advance to a point where you determine yourself when the pure forces will be ready to move freely from within you.
This goal can be achieved only by following a slow, laborious
path. Pray for help in this respect as well. For some it may be helpful to remember the last time they felt a strong vibration that connected them to God. Perhaps by conjuring it up in their imagination they can relive it emotionally.
The tools may vary, and each of you needs to explore your individual point of connection personally. Best of all is a victory over yourself, an insight into the Self that is Real, Complete and Wholehearted.
When you overcome a resistance you open yourself to God's will and truth. Such victory frees many powers and causes a wonderful vibration that leads to meditation, even though in the beginning it cannot be attained every day.
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 07:08:10 AM
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Inner Conflict
You need to get that work done, but some part of you gets distracted. You make yourself exercise, but your body doesn't co-operate. You work hard at your love relationship, but another part of you wants to leave. You like the security of the well-paying job, but you hate going to work. You regularly carry on inner arguments with yourself and say, "I should," "I shouldn't," "I ought to," "I'm going to," "I don't know," and--"I'm such an idiot."
Welcome to the world of inner conflict!
Inner conflict uses up a great deal of energy. There is a drive to do something and a brake on it at the same time. It's like having a herd of wild horses jumping around in a little pen. That energy has to move - or it will explode or make us tense and sick.
Thinking of a better idea rarely solves inner conflict. A new resolution usually just sets up another contest between the conflicted parts of ourselves. Every time we try and fail, our inner critic beats us up and we just feel worse.
Inner conflicts are always characterized by arguments or struggles between different parts of ourselves. Since we are supposed to be individuals, how can this be?
Experience has led me to believe that all animals, including humans, start life in an integrated manner. All parts of our being are in constant communication with one another, through chemical and electrical message systems. We consist of trillions of cells that are constantly in conversation. If our cells do not work together harmoniously, the result is what we call illness.
Some of the "subpersonalities" we develop take the form of vocal and behavioural patterns of the adults who coerce us. So, as adults, we scold the willful child in ourselves with words and postures that look and sound like Mom and Dad. How often have you rolled your eyes and said to yourself "What were you thinking?!" If we look at all the inner dialogue associated with our inner conflicts, we usually find that the "voices" are similar to the voices of others in our past. In order to be "good," and to squeeze the wild child in us into shape, we swallowed or introjected the thoughts and behaviours of our parents and caregivers.
We couldn't be what we were, so we split into parts to please everyone else. These parts are now at war and we don't know who the hell we really are. We don't know what feeling is right, what thought makes sense, what action is best, or which people to love. We make lists of pros and cons that don't really work. We ask everyone else for advice and get more confused. We do what we are "supposed to," and things fail. What a mess.
It could have been so simple. If we had been allowed to be what we were, our bodies would have remained in health and harmony. We could have always had our feelings and known that they were always correct for us. We could have been at ease, and at one, with ourselves.
Instead, we have this inner struggle, a battle that leaks out and creates bigger wars. And these world conflicts will not stop if we are at war with ourselves. It's time to look inside and have a conflict resolution and peace conference within.
Make sure you give yourself a bunch of invitations!
Sam Turton - Primal Integration Facilitator
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 08:04:55 AM
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Thanks Doc. Just what I have been going through for a few days now.. inner conflict... and these lines..
quote:
Inner conflict uses up a great deal of energy. There is a drive to do something and a brake on it at the same time. It's like having a herd of wild horses jumping around in a little pen. That energy has to move - or it will explode or make us tense and sick.
... explain the feelings exactly... I feel totally drained..
Soooo.. what is the solution... do what you feel is right and face the consequences.. or knowing the consequences will create a huge unrest (and I am not really sure I am strong enough to go through that right now).. just let it go..
I know if I could ask this in my inner silence.. I would know what would be the right thing to do.. but that lovely thing called inner silence is so hard to find when there is a herd of wild horses jumping around in the little pen... |
Edited by - Shanti on Mar 13 2007 08:07:10 AM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 11:02:13 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Shanti:
"...inner silence is so hard to find when there is a herd of wild horses jumping around in the little pen...
Hi Shanti:
Oh, yeah!  Reminds me of a story which said "when you're standing in water shoulder deep with alligators, it's difficult to remember that the initial objective was to clear the moat!" LOL
In the meantime, perhaps this will be of help as well.
Doc
Reconcilliation Of Inner Conflict
We occasionally experience internally conflicting needs, desires or beliefs. In such inner conflicts, when our "sub-personalities" or "personas" have conflicting needs, we are not sure what to do or which decision to make.
Some examples of the inner conflicts that may disturb our peace
are listed below. As you read through them, consider whether or not you have any similar conflicts.
1. One part of ourselves may feel we need to spend more time on our professional life while another part may believe we should spend more time with our family.
2. A part of ourselves may want to open up to a conscious love relationship, while another part fears being abandoned, hurt, suppressed, manipulated, or being unable to be ourselves in that relationship.
3. One part of ourselves may want to give those around us (children, spouses, friends) total freedom to pursue their happiness in their own ways, while another part fears losing control.
4. The part of ourselves that wants to please others may come into direct conflict with our desire to satisfy our own needs.
5. Part of ourselves may want others to support us, while the other feels restricted by their support or advice.
6. One part of ourselves may want spiritual growth, while another may feel the need for material security.
7. One part of ourselves may want to help loved ones or friends, but the other may feel that perhaps we are doing them harm by continuously bailing them out and not letting them solve their own problems.
8. One part of ourselves may feel a need to protect the planet by living a simple life with very little consumption of energy and products, while another part may want to enjoy all the comforts of an energy consuming, pollution producing lifestyle.
9. One part of ourselves may want to take a new job or leave a job that we have, while another part wants the opposite for different reasons.
10. One part of ourselves may believe in cooperating with others, while another finds that difficult.
11. One part of ourselves may have a desire for various objects or situations as a source of pleasure, while another part may feel, this is a sin, or that we are not spiritual if we partake of such pleasures. It may feel this type of pleasure seeking is a waste of time and energy considering our spiritual goals.
12. One part of ourselves may feel the need to have an exclusive relationship in which our happiness and security depend upon another person (usually a mate). Another part may find this an obstacle toward its need for independence, self-sufficiency, and freedom.
13. Our need for personal love may conflict with our need to develop universal love.
14. Our need to forgive may conflict with our need to hold on to negative feelings toward someone.
15. Our need to employ various disciplines may conflict with our need to feel free to do whatever we please whenever we choose.
16. Our need to follow our inner voice may conflict with our need to be like others and be accepted by them.
17. Our need to express our feelings as they are may conflict with our need not to hurt anyone.
18. Our need to express our real feelings and thoughts might clash with our need to have the others acceptance.
19. Our need to follow a spiritual guide might conflict with our need to rebel against all types of advice or control.
20. Our need to control persons and situations in order to feel secure may conflict with our need to let things flow and allow others to act freely.
21. Our need never to show weakness may conflict with our need to share our weaknesses with others or seek their help.
22. Our desire not to ask anything from others may conflict with our need to have their help and support.
23. Our need for a stable routine for our balance and growth may conflict with our need for variety and change.
24. Our need to play our familiar emotional relationship games may conflict with our desire to get free ourselves from them.
25. One part of us wants to face and overcome our fears and blockages while another prefers to avoid and ignore them.
There are certainly conflicts, which we haven't mentioned, but most will fall into these categories.
How these Personas are Created
Our various emotional survival mechanisms can lead to the development of diverse personas or sub-personalities within our personality structure (we are not talking here about clinical illness such as multiple personality syndrome).
In response to early childhood experiences, we develop various inner emotional responses in an effort to maintain our feelings of security, self-worth, power and freedom. These then grow in their own separate ways, manifesting as parts of our personality that have their own personal beliefs, logic and identity and power. We might call these roles "personas," or "sub-personalities."
Each persona has it own core belief that creates and sustains its existence in our larger identity. This core belief will coincide with our need for security, pleasure, affirmation or freedom, or in a few special cases, other less common needs, such as the need to be useful, or to acquire self-knowledge or enlightenment. In some cases, the basic needs may be distorted and work in conflict with survival or growth, as for example, with the need to harm ourselves or others.
In most cases, however, these personas are created by our needs to establish our safety and self-worth, usually through other persons or possessions.
If we care for our bodies and minds, they will care for us.
Be Well
Robert Elias Najemy
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 13 2007 12:08:47 PM |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 12:36:42 PM
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quote:
In most cases, however, these personas are created by our needs to establish our safety and self-worth, usually through other persons or possessions.
If we care for our bodies and minds, they will care for us.
Thanks Doc.. |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 12:51:30 PM
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Spiritual power
How to change key aspects in your life
The first thing to realize is that you are the one who has the greatest influence over what happens in your mind and in your life.
Your thoughts, emotions, beliefs and attitudes are in your territory.
This means that if there is something you don't like, it is in your right and power to do something about it.
The second step is to break your challenge into small "affordable"
parts. You reduce the problem or challenge to its real size. You make it very specific.
For instance if you tend to get angry in certain situations, identify
exactly what are the circumstances which bring these emotions to the
surface:
What is the context?
With whom does it happen?
What are the underlying dynamics behind this anger? Etc.
Once you know exactly what the negative pattern is, identify what you
want. Think of what you want, not what you believe you should do or what others ask from you. If you don't like the pattern you manifest now, identify exactly what the ideal behavior, thought or belief would be.
What does the perfect action, thought or attitude look like for you?
Once you know what your plan or desire is, you need to retrain your
mind or behavior. You do this in real or in "simulation", as role play for instance.
If a mind set has been with you for years, it takes some focus and
energy to shift that pattern. A mind set is like a path way you traced in your life. It is a habit. If you want to shift this pattern, you need to repeat the new behavior over a period of a few weeks until this new behavior, belief or emotion is truly grounded in your life.
Focus on one pattern at a time. Focus on this behavior shift for at least a week and then let it go.
If you can identify 4 or 5 patterns you don't like, it will take you one to three months to create a new mind set and align your actions,
thoughts and emotions with your ideal mind set.
True, it does take focus and energy.
But, if you make it your top priority for minimum of a week, you usually can break through.
From 'Spiritual Power' by Francisco Bujan
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2007 : 5:34:59 PM
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10 Great Ways to Remain Stress Free
We all suffer from stress at some level and we all handle stress differently, some can shake it off and let it go while for others they suffer severe headaches, light headedness and our muscles become tense. Stress such as this over long periods of time is not good for us; however, there are ways to deal with it successfully.
1.Play some relaxation music – there are many CD`s specially designed to help you relax, they range from classical music to sounds of nature to guided self-help routines to aid in relaxation. Learning how to relax more quickly and easily using one of these, leads to being able to let go of stress easier.
2. Take some time just for you – we can all benefit from some “me” time, if you find yourself getting worked up about something then if possible take a short 5 minute break and get up and loosen off your muscles. If you are able to, then take a hot bath with some of your favorite oils, or if you are at work, then just stretch your legs and muscles by going for a glass of water or coffee. For those who have small children, then take advantage of their nap time and practice a relaxation routine while they nap.
3. Learn how to meditate - learning a simple meditation technique can teach you how to relax and let go of stress much more quickly, the simplest forms of meditation exercises can be done in as little as 10 minutes and leaves you refreshed and ready to tackle anything.
4. Take some form of exercise - exercise is not only a great way to get fit and healthy but is also a great method for dealing with stress, you will benefit from as little as 20 minutes of exercise per day, this can be walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or any similar form.
5. Express yourself – keeping a diary is an excellent way of dealing with stress and anxiety, write down and get out your thoughts and feelings about anything and everything that bothers you.
6. Confront any problem – if a problem is causing you stress then don’t shy away from it and keep putting it off, meet the problem head on and try to find a solution to it.
7. Take up a hobby – taking up something you enjoy doing is a great way of beating stress, a hobby will give you something to think about and take your mind off your day-to-day problems even if only for a short while and any break from stress is beneficial.
8. Treat yourself – give yourself a small treat, this could be buying a new book or CD, buying fresh flowers and arranging them or treating yourself to aromatherapy or a massage.
9. Don’t put too much emphasis on what others think – try to stop caring too much about what others think of you or your actions and instead just concentrate on what you like to do and want to do, and do it.
10. Learn to realize when you are stressed – learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and then follow the tips outlined above to learn how to deal with it before it builds up.
by Alan Kintel at http://someofthebest.info
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2007 : 02:05:11 AM
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In the Light of Wisdom
by Swami Krishnananda
The Divine Life Society
Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
There must be a discipline of all the mental layers of our personality. I shall not grow tired of saying that what meditates is not merely our conscious mind, but our total mind. We should not then cherish notions inside secretly and then try to contemplate with the conscious mind; otherwise the bottom will come up and disrupt the top. Immediately the lid will be opened and then everything will be upside down.
It is better to proceed from the lowest layer of our personality and to take into consideration the least important first, rather than to leap after the most important things first. This is because sometimes the difficulties are from the smaller things rather than the bigger things. It is therefore necessary to take notice of the pennies first, as they say, and the pounds afterwards. The pounds will take care of themselves. A small pencil may save us one day or the other. We should not then merely focus on the bigger things, because the smaller things are also important. The small things may assume a large proportion one day or the other.
It is not advantageous to confine oneself merely to the conscious level in meditation. We are something else in our subconscious, and this has to be brought out as well. It is therefore proper to attach adequate importance to our buried feelings and frustrated attitudes and bring them to the surface. We then deal with them as we consciously deal with people, and then we will find that there will be no inner disturbance. The imbalances which may come in the form of physical sickness and mental unhappiness are all due to the revolutions that take place in the lover strata of our personality. We may look all right at the conscious level, but still we are not okay. We will have a secret sickness which we will not be able to understand or explain. All this is because things may appear to be satisfactory on the conscious level but are not satisfactory internally.
Therefore, we must be a very good psychologist in the proper sense of the term when we become a student of yoga, but it is of course in order to examine ourselves and not others. When the whole personality gets cleared up and it shines like gold, then all the three layers of the personality will come up and stand in unison for meditation. Then it is that we will realise quick results in meditation. Otherwise, it is only a futile attempt to engage a part of our personality in meditation and still keep the deeper layers buried - completely disconnected from the action of meditation.
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2007 : 7:48:25 PM
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Set Reasonable Goals
Frequently, a person is discouraged largely because he has goals that are beyond his ability to reach. While we do have much more potential than we utilize, we still are limited in what we can do. We must set reasonable goals.
A person who demands too much from himself will feel frustrated and discouraged and is likely to quit. Therefore it is important to be aware of your limitations. But some people might feel that if they cannot obtain perfection and cannot complete everything necessary to be done, they might as well not even try.
Choose the middle path. Try to accomplish as much as possible, but also realize that you will not be able to do everything. Learn to take pleasure in trying to accomplish without feeling frustrated from not being able to finish all that you would have wanted.
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
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Spiritual Combat on the Path to Illumination
