Excerpt from "Practical Wisdom"

A TECHNIQUE TO LIVE

When you do not know how to live, when you are not aware of your own consciousness, Atma, the highest consciousnesses, then you are in danger of getting entangled in the details of life and your direction is lost.

Once dragged into that stream of thought and tossed into the maelstrom of emotions, no one knows where you are going to land. It is such a vicious cycle, taking you away from your Source and the highest consciousness that you become puzzled and confused. You do not know how to withdraw, how to maintain happiness and stability of mind. You have become so sensitive to your environment that you are now a subject of your environment. Any individuality, on the basis of higher growth, is completely absent. You are at the mercy of your surrounding atmosphere and thus have become a part of it.

However, there is a technique where, although you participate in everything, you retain your level of consciousness at the same time. It is your perception that is important. For example, there is no way anyone can escape the varying pleasant or unpleasant circumstances of daily living. Problems are inevitable now and then. To the average person these situations may appear to be serious matters, but, for those who have known the Source—the Paramatman – they are nothing. It all depends on the basis of your view. Take the classic example of someone entering a dark room and accidentally touching a rope, mistaking it for a snake. Frightened, you may react by shouting for help or having some other strong reaction. Yet when brought into the light, the ‘snake’ is recognized for what it is: a rope simply a case of mistaken identity. You realize your folly and laugh at yourself.

Now you see the problem. Any form of confused understanding to which you are so much attached, to which you give so much importance, could be just nothing. The kind of understanding you have is like an addiction. The mind is so completely controlled by the habit that you want to continue with whatever the mind has accepted previously – until something else arises to influence you. This inertia, this resistance to any new ideas, will try to hold you, keep you back by tying you to the same thoughts, by repeating the same acts, time and again.

Today many people continue to live in the past, thereby causing it to repeat itself constantly. They reminisce, watch repeats of movies and plays, get fed up, and go to a pub or club, where again they repeat the same actions and wonder why they are still bored or unhappy. When the soul, through constant experiences tries to guide them and they do not heed its guidance, then the feeling of depression sets in and up rises the cry: “O God, what have I done to deserve this suffering?”

The law of inertia is a law of physics and should be accepted as such. To overcome its conditioning, a certain amount of effort, purushartha, needs to be applied. There is also the possibility of using this law, applying it for constructive purposes.

Life can be used for spiritual growth or misused. The former will bring happiness, the latter engenders suffering. So many opportunities of life present themselves daily. How far can you concentrate on these opportunities and maximize their potential? If something is given to you, it is your job to create and make the best of that. When you are blessed with a beautiful gift, the objective is to use this gift, happily, to further growth. On the other hand, even something ugly or destructive can be turned into a blessing. You may be familiar with the saying that if someone gives you a lemon, you can always make lemonade. Behind the monstrous mask of war can hide the end of tyranny and oppression, the tender bloom of neighborly love. Compassion and mercy can unfold in such troubled times. The severest trials and ordeals often hold the most valuable lessons. Unfortunately, the human being often lacks appreciation when such blessings are bestowed and through ignorance, greed, or other manifestations of the ego, misuses these precious gifts.

It is entirely up to you as the individual how you deal with any gift or any problem; how you react, how you receive, how you create and how you expect. Here lies the difference between an evolved being, often described as a High Being and the ordinary human. The High Being may participate in any activity, eating, talking, walking, anything. But never, not for one moment, does he identify himself with that particular action. He knows that ultimately he is not the one who suffers, who is associated. He watches and observes, although you will find no difference whatsoever in his function or performance. To him all is merely play. This is the example to aspire toward.

Even if you cannot achieve this aim, try to grow from your experiences. Things will always happen. Ups and downs occur every day. The problem arises when you identify with your emotions and physical attributes; I am angry. I am beautiful. I am greedy. I am special. When you, the Self, associate with something which is not true (you are neither anger nor greed), then trouble arises. You make yourself into a very different person and present yourself accordingly. If someone tells you that you are bad, you feel hurt; if someone thinks you are good, you feel happy. You are constantly swimming in happiness or unhappiness, and how many people will make you happy or unhappy? To grow spiritually, to become truly aware, you have to watch your own performance, attitude and behavior. Then, if you find flaws, you must try to correct them.

This beautiful life is given to be used, to be utilized for development and growth. If you do not take advantage of this gift, then it is entirely the fault of the individual, who will have lost the chance of higher growth.

Title: Practical Wisdom

Author: Svami Purna

ISBN No.: 978-81-7822-6

Publisher: New Age Books

E-mail: nab@vsnl.in

Distributor: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Website: www.mlbd.com

E-mail: mlbd@mlbd.com