The essence of spirituality (part 2)

It is important to repeat this: An individual living by perceiving Life only through his mind (THINKING) is unable to know Love as a non-dualistic FEELING. However, that individual will know what most refer to as ‘love’ which is a dualistic emotion. Fear or hate could be the opposite of that ‘love’ depending on the context. Those 2 emotions have a common ground, as one can easily become the other.

To meet Life we need to be open to expect the unexpected. The mind does not want that. The mind wants security, certainty. Failure to meet that expectation will bring suffering which in time, could lead to an out of balance mind. How come? In Life to experience pain and pleasure are part of the experience of duality, thus unavoidable; but suffering is optional. Psychological suffering comes after the fact and remains there.

How do I know if I am living in the mind?

That person usually daydreams. For example: Listen to a song. Observe how we could listen to that same song many times, because we ‘like it.’ There is no longer appreciation of music but it becomes background sound for daydreaming. In the mind, repetition degrades the original experience, although we want to enhance it. Look at a flower: Do you hear your mind saying:”pretty or ugly.” That inner voice is proof that we are living in the mind. The word “pretty” becomes our output. “oh! How pretty!” We say. Whenever we have words as an immediate response to our observation, we are not truly looking at the flower. Any words in our head will distract us from observing; for when we truly observe there is inner silence, no judgment or commentary. It is in that state how our actions could be unrehearsed by the mind. In other words, they will be authentic.

When you wake up, observe how readily you will turn the cellphone on and get engaged in non essential things in that ‘virtual reality.’ Some even have their devices running all night, not realizing the negative sleeping effects a cellphone or any device transmitting EMF has. In our world, we have abused our eyesight and the mind uses this sense more than any other to release ‘free movies’ in our minds based on memory. Computers, cellphones and ‘virtual devices’ have improved our ability to get in touch and to pass information all over the world but paradoxically, they have handicapped us even further, in our ability to feel Life.

Many will say that it is ‘impossible’ to be without words in our heads. That is because they have not observed themselves yet. Language is conditioning. We need to use language to communicate with others, but there is no need to mentally talk to ourselves. Is there?

How do you start perceiving Life through the heart center or feelings?

In my experience, by healing our emotional body. We have accumulated so much trauma which we have not forgotten even though time has gone by. An intense trauma will linger in our consciousness, although hidden by the memories of many other experiences. Those traumas will make us fearful or violent and those emotions will need to be released to be clear from that trauma. Along with that, we will need to have time in Nature as a source of deconditioning from the mental ways of society. Then of course, limiting our reading habits and accumulation of constant information. Instead we will need to become involved in the arts; such as painting, drawing, playing music and dancing and vast self observation to finally realize our automatic and highly conditioned daily activities. Any sort of structured learning/activities should be minimized. This is a process of deconditioning from a heavy pattern.

Do you have to make a decision in Life? Consider not using the old formula of weighing pro vs. con. That is too mental. Instead FEEL what is right for you and go with it. Eventually, any structured ‘knowledge’ on how to act, should be left aside. No fool-proof formulas will be needed. Every moment in Life should bring its newness thus boredom will not be.

I have found that the moment when I wake up in bed, that is a fantastic time to observe the content of the mind. If you remain in bed, you are still in a state where your senses are not fully awake yet. Observe the torrent of thoughts without judgment. When we observe intently as if that movie of thoughts was all there is and we give our 100% energy to look at it, then the current of thoughts will disappear. It is an illusion as if someone was trying to subdue our will by releasing thoughts which we have not consciously willed. It is when we do not realize that the mind is taking us into ‘movie time,’ (that is when we are not 100% ‘present’ or detached from those thoughts) when those thoughts could become strong emotions and anxiety or even depression could settle depending on our degree of “sleepiness.” If you are serious about this finding, willingly slow down your actions during a time, so you are fully ‘present,’ as you take a step, close the door or even prepare your meals. In that way, you will be ‘awake’ when the mind starts another set of ‘movies.’ This is known as “conscious movement.”

The challenge will be for those whose life depends on being in constant touch with society and its structured way. That is why, many serious seekers have decided to live away from society as to create the necessary space to observe and avoid being sucked into the same old rut. That is the challenge.

This is not another rebellion against society or a reactionary movement. It is sort of what someone from AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is expected to do: Stay away from alcohol and do whatever it takes to be sober. If that person was to resume his Life as he always has done, then he will be trapped in no time. However, with an extensive ‘break’ from the old pattern and a high dose of inner observation, that person will gather the strength and wisdom to join the ways of society again, but he will not be lured by it. When we merely run away from ‘temptation’ without being aware of how the pattern reoccurs, we are physically taking ourselves out of the issue through repression, but mentally we are still trapped.

I understand that by sharing this, many will be wondering if this should be posted in this blog. I feel that what I am sharing here could be helpful for those who would like to take a step further in their inner observation and therefore in their inner knowledge. Without this ‘basic’ step, no matter what religion you follow or philosophy or ‘practice,’ there is very little that we could ‘do’ to help awaken ourselves.

Self realization is mostly a process of ‘awakening’ from a long lasting sleeping pattern of unconscious living.

Question: Why sometimes that thinking which I observe overpowers “ME” and I end up doing something I didn’t want to?

Thank you for your very good question.
The last article about Brahma Kumaris remembrance is one of the most important produced in this website. Nevertheless, it may not be understood in that way by many readers. That practice of BK remembrance is a “trick” to get out of the current events of the mind. It is a necessary “trick” if awareness of the workings of the mind is lacking.

For instance, if you were a BK; then you could just “remember Baba” and follow some safe script (Maryadas, for instance) so you do not get in trouble and you don’t experience regrets later on. In that “safety” you don’t live Life. That is the price. Nevertheless, the issue with the mind remains. The unobserved conditioning is there. It may leak little by little.

Dinesh, Congratulations! You are ahead of the game in observing your mind. You realize what is happening. You realize that many times these thoughts could be repeated and we cannot stop them. You realize that these thoughts many times, make us “do” things. A person suffering OCD (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder) is a good example. Repetitive thoughts will force the person to perform a task that the mind believes to be safe or necessary. There is a specific number of times that a repetitive action or “tic” needs to be performed. Because that person is unaware, that person is a prisoner of the mind.

The answer of your question resides in living in feelings rather than the mind.
That is another reason why BK meditation stresses feelings of love for Baba. Even though, “Baba” is not an experience for many. They merely visualize him and make up a circumstance to feel “love” so they can get out of the mind and its current trend of thoughts.
See?

My friend Mathias told me that the mind is a “prisoner” of time. It cannot perceive the small changes in Life. Even though, there is continual change; the mind does not see that. The mind is “BORED” or stuck in time. It is as if the mind is stuck with a picture which does not allow us to APPRECIATE the movie of Life.

When we are sitting comfortably appreciating our Life (new form of meditation) by becoming AWARE of all the experiences that we can experience within our body in the “now”: From moving our legs and walking to breathing at ease and peace; when there is a feeling of appreciation as we continue on living, that “feeling good” dispels the dictatorship of our mind. This is not a “trick” unless you purposely “practice” to “feel appreciative.” The experience reside in you and not in someone else’s appearance or “remembrance.”

Many times, we could be in a place infested with recurrent thoughts. We will catch those. The easiest way to finish that situation, is to get out, to go for a walk outside and OBSERVE the difference once we come back.

We are surrounded by the energy of thoughts from different sources. We just need to be AWARE of those rather than call them “MY THOUGHTS” or try to figure out where they come from? Who originates them? What is the purpose of those thought? Etc. That intellectual nonsense is only noise of the mind, for the mind will never “know” the answers through experience. It can only have BELIEFS.

As our FEELINGS take over our BEING, then the mind will move into a second plane.

At this time, the minds of most people; are the masters. They can only display conditioning and regurgitate what has been “learned” to comply with that role. That is why, mental diseases of all sorts are affecting many at this time.

Thinking kills your feelings. We cannot APPRECIATE and ENJOY Life unless our feelings are alive.

For the common good.

Appreciation of Brahma Kumaris beliefs

“… But actually, one thing is there, if I had not been attached to this belief given by BKs that “I create my own thoughts and can control them, and need to create only GOOD thoughts, I wouldn’t have reached to this experience. [The realization and awareness that thoughts merely appear.] As you have also said in many articles, both sides of the coin are required.”

That is a great realization, indeed!
That realization will bring appreciation of the Brahma Kumaris path, even though you are no longer following it.
You realize that without your previous belief, you would have not been able to realize the nature of thoughts.

Also, you can now realize that BK Shivani wasn’t “wrong.” Her role is needed for BKs so BK Shivani is “right” for them. Thus, at another time; those BK followers will be ready to realize other things, just like you did.
If we tell those followers now: “Thoughts just appear, you do not create them,” they will laugh at us. Their consciousness is not ready for that.

Another teaching from that realization of yours, is that it doesn’t matter who is “right” or “wrong.”
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether thoughts appear or we create them. What matters is that we can perceive them and thus, how much we identify with them is the important aspect.

If we don’t identify with thoughts, there is a space created between “I” and thoughts, it is that empty space the one that we may want to explore as well.

With all of these realizations plus an added appreciation for the BK path and its teachings, you are ready to move on from the BK experience without hard feelings in your heart.
You have liberated yourself, when others cannot; for you have seen the 2 sides of the coin.

Every coin has 2 sides. Both sides are different. Because they are different, people living in the mind are stuck in wanting to know which side is “right” and which one is “wrong.”

That search is futile. They can only see one side of the coin, but they cannot see the coin itself…
Until, they are willing to take a look at the other side without prejudice.   🙂

When we started our “careers” in “spirituality,” we did not know anything. We didn’t know about the coin. When I say “knowing,” I do not mean intellectual stuff, information. I mean experience.
We cannot experience the coin itself for we are not ready to understand 2 different but complementary sides of it.

We are stuck on “good and bad,” “right or wrong,” stuff that we learned when we were little toddlers. (conditioning.)
As we grow up, our understanding and experience will be different, unless we are stuck on living Life with a dogma, then we are not living Life… but a dogma.

The reality of a dogma is a static mind in a dynamic an ever changing Life.

For the common good.

Lots of thoughts are not “mine.”

In Life there are many beings intermingling with the physical world. Most individuals are unaware of them. Their influence is made through thoughts.
The collective consciousness has a dial, that is caught by many people. That thought becomes theirs. An individual influenced by this, will call that thought “mine.”

Have you watched the movie “Wonder Woman” (2017)?
In that movie, there is the villain “Ares,” the “god of war” who influences scientists so they can develop weapons for mass destruction. Scientists cannot see him. They cannot touch him but yet they could tune into his thoughts… and then call those “my thought.” This scenario may not be far from “reality.”
“Ares” does not care to get recognition. That is a human conditioning.

Religions such as Brahma Kumaris and others, are aware of this. There are many subtle beings. What is the response to “protect” the follower from this “reality”?
To create a “code of conduct.” A mental frame work to DO no matter what our minds may say, no matter what “doubts” will show up. All “I” need to DO is to follow a paragraph of DO’s and Don’ts.

Paradoxically, is that “safety net” the one that will not allow the individual to evolve and rather inflict an internal war all the time: “I want to DO this, but I know it is wrong; for my code of conduct does not allow it.”

Individuals unaware of the mind, will not learn from this experience: they are unable to recognize and make a distinction between “my” thoughts and someone else’s.
There is no straight forward “division” for “my thoughts” can only reflect the same old conditioning that has been inflicted from many years and many lives…

Are we stuck then?
No. In Brahma Kumaris there is the knowledge of the “role.”
This “role” expresses through a gut feeling. The mind is not involved, for again, the mind is pure conditioning. This does not mean that the mind is “bad” or a villain.  The mind has an important role so we could fit into this society.

As we learn to tune into the gut feeling, the heart, we will DO according to our role in Life, so there will not be dissonance, a sense that something is missing.
For instance, we may follow a “code of conduct,” and think that “I am DOING the right thing.” However, our inner being will be dissatisfied, unhappy. That is how the mind forces our BEING to behave in a certain way which is deemed to be “right.”

The beauty of all is that whether we are slaves of our minds or not, we will DO as our role dictates. Nevertheless, once we are free from the mind, there is no dissonance, no feeling of frustration, etc. Again, I wouldn’t share this with someone who has suicidal or criminal tendencies… They may need commandments, codes of conduct, etc. at that point in their experience to preserve their lives and others.

We could see that there is no magic formula/method to solve the thinking “problem.” Every method has timing. That is all. Once we ARE beyond the method, allow for Life to show us the exit door. If we entered through a door, we may need to exit through it. That is the journey, but our minds like to label that same door as “good” and “bad.” That may be insanity through the power of labels.

For the common good.

Are all thoughts mine?

… I read your recent article “the world of mind may not be real”. You have specified that we need to see whether our thoughts are ours or they just appear.
With BKs, I was a bug fan of “Sister Shivani”, in her almost every lecture she focus only on one thing that “All of the thoughts are “MINE”, we create them at our own will”. But now after long time, with some practice of watching my own mind without judgement, I realize that “Thoughts are actually not our creation”. They just appear. There is also an emotionless and feeling-less moments, temporary though, for may be few seconds. But it’s really an amazing experience of just being there.

Thank you for your comments.
 Ahnanda has shared the same topic many times through different words in the blog “Exploring the Depth of Living;” however, there are very few that could perceive what Ahnanda is sharing. 

All it takes to find out, is just to observe your own mind. However, most are unable to DO it. The idea of “ I am not creating my thoughts” seems crazy; but when you ask the same people who complain about having many “waste” thoughts, to stop their own “creation,” they cannot. All they can do is add “nice thoughts” in top of what has already appeared. 

Because their minds are running their lives, what is important is to find out intellectual answers rather than observing and acknowledging “what is.”
“So, you are saying that I am not creating my thoughts, then who is?”
That is the question to “get me,” right?

But then if I ask, who is that “I”? We could get into a big useless debate and forget about “creating thoughts.” The “right answer” has to make sense to the mind, although; we don’t realize that we are still trapped in the mind. Because we cannot get out of it and perceive the huge “reality” outside of it.

Thoughts are like “vibrations,” they are in the air. We catch them, we let them through us, we identify with them, we call them “mine.”

What you experienced in those few seconds is what Ahnanda calls “meditation” and “no-mind.” I don’t need to define that for you, for you know it.

In Brahma Kumaris there is “knowledge” of the “role.” They say, we have “up to 84 roles in the kalpa.” Moreover, “gyan” says that those “roles” are predestined.
Aren’t thoughts part of the role? Aren’t souls different than roles?
Doesn’t BK knowledge teach that “I am a soul not a body.”?
Therefore, how can I say “my thoughts are my creation” when the “I” in BK parlance, is the soul (“I,” the soul) and the soul is not a role?

Do you see how intellectual we can get through BK knowledge? The mind will spin around the “why and the how,” but yet none of that will give you the direct experience that you were able to find out by just observing your mind.
All you had to DO is to abandon your conditioning of “I create my thoughts.” That is all. How could we OBSERVE if we want for our observation to fit our ideas and beliefs?
That is why to become AWARE of the need to decondition from what the mind knows as “true,” is of utmost importance.

Thanks to your observation, Ahnanda has been able to share one of the most significant articles in this blog. If someone truly understands this, that individual is set for his own discoveries about himself.

Is there any other significant thing in Life than to know yourself?

For the common good.

Question: How to make thoughts, words and deeds to be the same?

“I need your help to explain us two of the very beneficial teachings which I still have not been able to implement 100%, but want to as they are required to keep the flow of my life smoother. So here are those two teachings:
No 1: Your thoughts, words and actions should be in harmony, what you think, same thinking should be reflected in your words and actions. (Mansa, Wacha and Karmana should be same)
No 2: Abstain yourself from creation of waste thoughts.
The only reason I still want to implement these two teachings in me is that I think about one thing, I say another thing and end up doing totally different third thing in actions. Can you PLEASE explain what a person can do (By now I know that you use DO and BE in caps in all of your articles ) to implement these two things by being and by not being a BK.”

Thank you for your interesting question.

Yes, I use caps for BE and DO, hoping readers will find that there is a huge difference.
In your question, you want to “implement” a teaching. That sounds to me like “office world” conditioning. There, you implement plans, implement solutions, etc.
When we are referring to BEING, it does not work like that.

When the Brahma Kumaris teachings says: “Your thoughts, words and actions should be in harmony or be the same,” that teaching is not telling the follower to DO something, to implement something to “achieve” that goal, although that is the interpretation. Followers are unaware of the “office word” conditioning and unaware of how DOING something who you are not, only covers who you ARE .

That teaching is merely describing how a BEING in harmony will express himself. Most want to BE that, but they do not acknowledge who they ARE now first. They just reject that.

Let me ask the question: Are “your” thoughts really “yours”? If they are, why you cannot stop them at will? Why is it so difficult to “create” loving, good, wholesome thoughts all the time?
That is the first realization to go into.

BEING attracts particular thoughts. Thus, what about if you find that those thoughts are not really created, willfully thought by you, but that they just appear?
Then the realization to OBSERVE those thoughts will be obvious, to use another Brahma Kumaris teaching, to be a “detached observer” of those thoughts.

If you OBSERVE those thoughts appearing in the sky of your mind, could we say that “you need to abstain from creating waste thoughts”?
We cannot, for those are not “my” thoughts.
What is the issue then? We are not AWARE to OBSERVE. We IDENTIFY with everything that is going through the mind as “mine.”

If there is that detachment from thoughts, what will be the problem then? None. If you FEEL what your ACTION should be and DO it; wouldn’t your words be along those lines?
But we are afraid of discovering who we ARE. We want to look respectable, we want to DO the “right” thing and not DO according to what truly I AM. Thus, we miss the greatest opportunity to discover who I AM. It is through that discovery how change happens without DOING a thing.

Would you like to DO something useful in your Life?
Learn to OBSERVE yourself. Learn to read yourself as you can do with a friend. This is not meant to judge yourself, but to allow that to BE, so if you realize it, see it, not intellectually but consciously, change is inevitable.

However, most “spiritual” teachings have been distorted through some “easy to follow” interpretation to cater to the masses.

This is easy to understand: If you don’t like it, change it. If you think bad things, change it to good things… The power is on that “I” but yet, “I” cannot stop thoughts.
We are not aware on how we change the original bad thought into a good one by faking it. The root is “bad” and we change the branch and leaf of the tree of a thought to make it “good.”
That is called inner dishonesty.

How long can we go with that “practice”? Until we become AWARE.

For the common good.

Believing in “pretty words.”

When someone is living Life absorbed by the mind, words are very important specially if their meaning is ambiguous.

In my past experience with the Brahma Kumaris, I learned about certain “keywords” which no one knew what exactly those meant.
“The power of yoga” is one of them, “Shrimat” is another, “Dharamraj,” is a mysterious one but well used when “punishment” is the incentive to be “good and obedient.”

Do you believe that Life is about punishment and reward?
Are punishment and reward actually “real” in a predestined Drama? How that can be? 
Food for thought.
But yet, the idea is that there is “punishment.” Loaded word that only brings fear to comply, which many followers label as “love.”

The other day I received an email with the following “inspirational quote”:
To be still is to be conscious without thought.
Eckhart Tolle.

Is that your experience?
If you are a Brahma Kumaris follower; Do you know what is stillness?
It cannot be what Tolle mentions above, for a Brahma Kumaris follower believes in “remembering Baba” as much as possible.
Can you remember without thoughts?

Thus, “stillness” in Brahma Kumaris is another thing. How about single pointed concentration? Most BKs may agree with that, especially if I add the word “Shiva.” Single pointed concentration on Shiva.

What is my point?
A pretty word is used. That word is worshiped, but it means different things for different people.

Let me change the quote from Tolle and say:
To BE is to be conscious without thought.
Can we say that to BE is stillness?

It doesn’t sound right… but once you experience BEING, you may say that the Stillness of Tolle is the same as the BEING-ness of Avyakt7- NG.

And what about the “Stillness” of Brahma Kumaris?
Controlling thoughts by adding a leading thought (Shiva), is the first attempt to become AWARE of thoughts. The leading thought is not the “thing” to achieve but a prop. Once we are AWARE of thoughts, we will not try to control them, but we will learn to OBSERVE if we are identified with them. When there is no identification, even though there are thoughts, there is NOBODY HAVING thoughts, then you are experiencing “stillness” despite thoughts… 🙂

For the common good.

A reader leaves the Brahma Kumaris movement.

 

Really nice unveiling…:)

But just a small thought by me, they did have this belief, “I” can change my sanskar’s at my own will. But Sr BK Shivani has changed that to “I” can change my thoughts at my own will. But again that belief by Sr. Shivani is a contradiction with the articles that you had shared with me about “Welcome to the world of good thoughts and bad thoughts”, and with my personal experience that all sorts of negative, judgemental, and waste thoughts are generated by the mind and not by the SELF.

Anyways, another thing that I wanted to share is that I have finally left the path of BKs, I just took some time in alone and reflected on my own personal aspects of understanding, did some meditation of becoming totally aware of my own thoughts. And I think I am ready to go ahead with my personal journey.

This decision of leaving the path of BKs was not because I explored Osho and Ahnanada, but it was just a personal decision. And just wanted to thank you for writing such a thoughtful and truthful articles on avyakt7.com. Also, I just wanted to request you to allow us to provide comments and questions on avyakt7.com as well, as we used to do it before, yes a few may end up criticising or taking wrong meaning of your articles. But what about those who want to explore more on those articles. Or can we just contact you via that “Contact” page?

I will be visiting the Osho meditation Ashram in Pune for 4 to 5 day in a week or so, to explore more about meditation there. And will definitely share my experience with you.

Wish you the best in your “decision.” 🙂

Certainly, feel free to share with us what you find at Osho’s ashram.

I wanted to clarify certain items in lieu of your comment.
1.) Avyakt7 New Generation for BKs, is not interested in promoting the BK path nor in obstructing the decision of a seeker. I have no agenda for going “pro” or “against.” Avyakt7 is just sharing a vision from a different consciousness.
2.) The Brahma Kumaris path was a “good” path for me. Like anything in Life, it had a timing as my consciousness changed. It is my experience that there is no such a thing as “a true” path or the “only shop,” but rather that terminology could be used only in reference to a particular state of consciousness.
3.) Brahma Kumaris is evolving as well. Yesterday “I could change my sanskaras”, today “I can change my thoughts.” Yesterday, “destruction is just ahead”, today “destruction is transformation.” Those whose mind is stuck in finding a paragraph stating the “truth”, will learn a lot about this belief.
4.) We could say that “waste thoughts are generated by me.” We could say “waste thoughts are generated by the mind. “ We could say “waste thoughts are generated by Daffy duck.” The origin does not matter, we cannot DO anything to stop them. Paradoxically, when we observe them and become aware of the particular thought without identifying with it (as:  It is my thought, why do I think bad thoughts? I feel bad about it, etc.) at that point, those thoughts go away, because you are in the “NOW,” by being in the “now” the mind is not. 
5.) Someone in the state of consciousness: “ I create my thoughts,” needs “spirituality” for that state of consciousness. That is what Brahma Kumaris offers.
If you are AWARE that thoughts come and go without your willingness, then that awareness cannot resonate with the above teaching. That is all.

For the common good.