When we move to a deeper consciousness, when we gain
a more profound knowledge, when we consciously
direct the course of our lives instead of leaving it
to the whims of Nature, progress occurs from positive to positive, not from positive +
negative to positive. When we move our consciousness
into the depths of our being, away from the surface,
and move into the stillness and silence within, even
touching the evolving soul beneath these, we see the
world as it truly is. Thus, at every moment we
perceive the right thing to do, which causes us to
make choices that tend to be far more positive and
effective. Thus, though our own inner, soul-state we
progress through the way of Soul instead of Nature
-- i.e. coming to the new positive only
through the positive.
Also, these positive-only results that come from our
higher consciousness and the choices we make from
there, tend to occur instantaneously; i.e.
vast positive results move towards us in no time,
avoiding Nature's difficult and lengthy course. This
"instantaneous miraculousness" that brings sudden
good fortune through acts of higher consciousness, I
call it "Life Response." It is a life of continuous
wonder and joy, as sudden good fortune continuously
moves in our direction.
12/28/05
Beyond
the Political Opposites in Society, Enabling Rapid,
Vast, Smooth, Creative Progress
In the USA as elsewhere, there is a two-party
system. It is an indicator of democracy, as opposed
to the oppression of monarchy and aristocracy. And
yet it is flawed relative to what it can be. The
Democrats are passionate about ending poverty, and
many of their policies are very helpful, but many
are flawed. Their hearts are in the right place, if
not all of their ideas. The Republicans want to cut
taxes, which is one of a series of fine ways to
stimulate the economy, and yet behind is a virulent
selfishness and greed in that approach that is cut
off from the social aspirations of people. Each side
has positives that are wrapped in negatives, or
negatives wrapped in the positive. When you also add
in the political instinct, it can turn poisonous, as
useful policy is abandoned for doing what is
expedient and in the interest of that party.
One of the ways America and similar countries
progress is through the opposition of parties that
are each flawed. And yet we now progress through the
interaction of these two conflicting and flawed
opposites. This is Nature's way of progress through
complementary contradictions, here expressed in
governance. She also expresses elsewhere -- in fact
everywhere. E.g. in business through a traditional
opposition of executives and the remainder of the
staff. Through conflicts between nations; through
conflicts between lovers; even of ideas. Everywhere
we look, we will see such complementary opposites
that appear to be in opposition, in duality.
As we rise in consciousness, the dualistic nature of
progress dissipates, and there is growth and
development in society through unity that is also
exceedingly diverse. We release ourselves from a
particular side to embrace the Whole. (Where is the
Whole? It is the sum of all the truths of an object,
and then some.) Life progresses in this more
conscious way through positive energies only, not
through an incessant mixture of positive and
negative. Even the appearance of the negative in
this new consciousness is seen as positive in
disguise. As a result, progress is exceedingly
fast, is exceedingly smooth, is vast, and infinitely
creative -- replacing the slow and difficult way
of Nature that is our current way.
What is this consciousness
that sees the world in this new way? It occurs when
we take to rationality certainly, moving away from
our superstition and falsehood. More than that it
has the spiritual touch, which expresses several
ways: (1) a movement out of ego and separateness;
(2) a giving up of exclusive points of view and the
tendency to take sides; (3) a connection within that
sees harmonies instead of dualities outside one's
self; that even sees the unity emerging from
conflicting opposites; (4) that acts in such a way
that opposition is never created. It is for the
future life, but we can each begin now by connecting
with the calm and serenity and joy and love of our
inner being and True Self. We discover this
spiritual Being by moving away from the surface of
life and connecting with the silence within.
12/27/05
Harlan
Cleveland and Coinage of "Rising Expectations"
Harlan Cleveland coined the phrase "revolution of
rising expectations"
to describe this phenomenon which he observed in
Eastern Asia in the early 1950s. Spurred by the end
of colonialism and the diffusion of democracy, since
then this revolution has circled the globe and
ignited a clamor for education, higher levels of
consumption and opportunities for advancement among
billions of people. The universal awakening of this
urge for progress is another compelling reason why
the speed of development is increasing so rapidly.
(MSS)
12/26/05
Nature Drives
Out Society's Physical Consciousness through
Calamity
The individual and collective express their
consciousness from the lowest to the highest levels.
The lowest is the physical consciousness,
which expresses through inertia, unwillingness to
change, insensitivity, brutality, superstition,
dogma, falsehood, and other
anachronistic tendencies. Actions of
Nature overcome
that physical consciousness through natural
disasters and calamities, through attack and
invasion by enemies, and through other means She
deems fit. The individual too suffers the
consequences of his own physicality through the
tragedies that come in his own personal life.
The Tsunami of 2005 in Asia is one example of this
phenomenon, indicating the limited physical
consciousness of the people affected there. Another
is the 30 million Russians who died during WWII,
which matched an equal number of citizens the
Soviets had just killed of their own. Even when the
nations of Europe were annihilated by the Nazis, it
was because of the limited physical consciousness of
those nations who were unwilling to pull together in
the years leading up to the war. Many other events
demonstrate this intent of Nature to overcome the
unyielding physical consciousness, including the
recent 9/11 attack of on the US, indicating apart of
her physical nature. We see earthquakes in Iran and
other locations shaking up the physical
consciousness of backward thinking areas. Of course,
those that hand out such "justice" -- including
fascists, terrorists, and other oppressors -- are
often virulently physical too, and invariably suffer
the consequences as well.
12/24/05
Religion vs. Spirituality
-First, an individual has a profound realization of
the spirit. (E.g. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna,
etc.)
-That individual brings a new level of spiritual
evolution into society. (E.g. Jesus of Love, Buddha
of suffering and salvation.)
-A religion then adopts and
then expands in the social sphere on the realization
of the pioneering spiritual founder, i.e. the
Avatar.
-The followers of the religion
are compelled to follow the precepts of the founder.
-Religion develops ritual, dogma, and superstition
to organize the founder's experiences in ways to
develop and maintain its organization. After some
benefit, it creates an institution of Darkness out
of the spiritual realization of Light of the
founder.
-Spirituality is to one's self have the spiritual
experience. Within a religion it can said to be to
have the experience of that founder. Instead, the
religion advocates worshipping the founder through
the methodologies advocated by the religious
institution. Anachronistic tendencies and
Darkness begins to move in. Its actions lead to
actions that are false, bordering on evil. (Some
aspects or individuals remain in the light.)
-Even the Avatar, religious founder, though great,
only expresses one or several rays of the truth;
nothing near the whole truth of the Spirit.
-True, integral realization of the spirit is to
connect to the spirit in all its aspects;
Knowledge, Truth, Love, Beauty, Oneness, Peace, and
Bliss, etc. It is beyond religion. It is even beyond
the experience of one ray/aspect of the spirit.
-Religion has passed its time. It has for the most
part become an anachronisms. Spirituality is now
fully available for Man in the present for his full
realization.
-Each person can know the Divine, become It, and
bring It fully into the Becomings of life, thereby
divinizing all life on earth.
[ep for overriding older
kb items]
12/23/05
Taking
the Other Person's Point of View
Are you willing to take on
this spiritual challenge? In the next few days, when
you are in conversation or discussion or debate with
another, switch your point of reference, and take
the other person's point of view. Accept it
completely in your mind. If you are able to do that,
you have in essence had a spiritual experience.
Taking the other person's view is to shift out of
ego, and away from the exclusivity of mind, which
sees one part of the whole and takes it to be the
entire whole. It is instead a movement toward unity
and oneness of being; a movement toward integral
perception and knowledge, as we recognize that there
are other parts of the truth we are unconscious of,
that express through others, no matter how much in
the wrong they appear in our minds to be to be. You
will be startled at the turn the conversation takes
thereafter, and you may get a glimpse at the real
power that we have within to change the course of
life around us.
12/22/05
Personal Growth
Holding
Opposites in Our Mind to Know the Whole Truth
It has been said recently that
blacks in America have substantial opportunities to
rise, but have become complacent and self-satisfied.
If one is honest, one must see that this is true in
the current environment (2005). It is said by others
that blacks in America are being ignored by the
society, indicating a virulent contempt and
callousness of the government and the people. If one
is honest, one must accept that this too is true.
Then which is it: one or the other? They appear to
be contradictory beliefs.
Is it not possible that both are true, but that the human mind cannot
hold these contradictory opposites together at once.
The human mind, supported by a irrepressible
negative vital/emotional being takes a side --
holding its one truth in opposition to all others,
despite the wider understanding of the whole that
includes all truths. This is unfortunately the way
the mind of man functions. It is exclusive to
all other possibilities other than its own. It takes
one side out of a myriad of truths, and takes
delight in REINFORCING its opinion whenever
possible.
On the other hand, the person of higher
consciousness moves out of the exclusivity of mind
and embraces the full truth, whatever that might be;
even, as in the example above, where the truths
appear virtually opposite one another. The higher
spiritualized mind embraces all truths because it
seeks them; even what appears as contradictory
opposites. In the lower consciousness, however, one
is adamant about one's own position. In this world,
all is divided existence, opposites opposing one
another; me vs. you. In the higher consciousness,
opposites, contradictions are complementaries,
i.e. they work together to make a fuller, more
whole, more integral truth. As man evolves, he will
move to the spirit in mind that that can hold all
truths, including contradictory ones. Then he will
take a big leap on the road to his further
evolution and transformation.
We can begin that process by moving to our deeper
consciousness within, away from the surface
bubblings, to silence; and then deeper still to the
evolving soul. There one sees beyond the
contradictions, embracing all sides, seeing to the
True Truth that lies beyond the surface view. From
there, all decisions made will be great ones, that
inevitably benefit all.
12/19/05
Callousness
of the West and
Negative Life Response
Thousands die every day in Africa of
AIDS and Malaria, but little is spoken
of it here in the West. It is
callousness of the worst sort. It
attracts "bad karma," which is the
principle that what you sow is what you
reap in life. 9/11 and situations like
it thus come as a negative response from
life in return for our callousness to a
variety of the world's problems.
We do not see that our lower
consciousness -- whether our own or that
of any collective -- is constantly
attracting negativity from the field of
life. Look around and examine your life,
and watch for negative circumstances
that come to you. It is most likely
related to lower movements of
consciousness; it is especially there in
our wanting attitudes. Let us try to
identify a negative attitude and then
change it. Life will then respond to you
ON ITS OWN with sudden good fortune.
Problems will suddenly solve themselves,
and sudden opportunities will arise from
out of nowhere. It is the instantaneous
miraculousness of “Life Response.”
If Western callousness can turn into
true concern -- including true follow-up
to our positive public statements -- new
solutions to the problems of Africa, the
Arab world, and elsewhere can
instantaneously spring forth on their
own. The key is to move out of our
narrow, self-centered attitudes that
separate us from the conditions of the
world around us. It applies not just to
the West, but to any country, any
culture, any individual.
12/18/05
Fundamentalism that
Dissolves with Prosperity
Wherever life opens
prosperity, religion goes to the background.
Equally, the rising enlightenment of the mind
prevents religion from having an intoxicating hold
on it that leads to rabid fanatical behaviour. (MSS)
COMMENTS:
-We know that whenever rabid fundamentalists
confront prosperity, their reason d'etre diminishes
and eventually disappears. That by the way is true
for the zealots of ALL major religions.
-Prosperity does not overcome
spirituality
however. Those who are taking to the deepest truths
of life that come through spirit are supported
by financial well being. In fact, prosperity is a
great support for spiritual progress in life. It is
even one of its goals.
-Of course, as the mind becomes more rational,
thoughtful, insightful, it leaves religious
fundamentalism behind.
If that mind is inquisitive and determined to grow
further, then it moves to the spirit, which is
certainly beyond religious dogma, ritual, and
superstition, even beyond religions best qualities.
-In fact above rational mind that generates
thought-based conclusions, is the more subtle
form of insight through direct illumination
and intuitions of knowledge; which moves one
directly to the true truth of things. It is a step
on the road to continually having the multi-sided
knowledge of an issue, -- as opposed to the narrow,
one-sided, exclusive, ego-supported ordinary
functioning of mind, even rational mind -- which is
an indicator of the spiritual dimension of Knowledge. Other dimensions include the
experience of Oneness, Peace, Delight, Truth, Power,
Goodness, Beauty, Love, Infinity, Etc.
12/15/05
The Nature of
Romance/Romance of Life
-Civilisation as well as its whole, the creation, is
sustained by the evolutionary energy generated by
the eternal aspiration for the Eternal. [The eternal
is the Spirit, the Divine.]
-Romance is then the Eternal seeking the Eternal
Eternally. [It is the Divine Spirit seeking out the
Divine in our lives.]
-We seek this Romance in another person, through a
soul
to soul connection, a reflection of the Eternal
Seeking the Eternal.
-Each person has a soul, the spark of the Divine. It
has entered us to fulfill a purpose, the Soul's
purpose through our growth and evolution.
-Romance is therefore the play of one soul with
another.
-Romance is also aspiration of the unattainable. It
cannot be found in one individual because that
person is only a part (of the truth). Still we try.
It is romance. The Whole is what the soul seeks
through the part of the individual.
-The Eternal eternally presents itself to the
ephemeral for its valid acceptance. [I.e. the spirit
seeks itself in the lives of Man, between partners
as well as in the adventure of life.] That is why
Romance rears its head all the time at all ages. It
knows no death. Romance never dies. It cannot die.
It has never died in the history of man.
-Romance is permanent. Eternal romance is an
ever-living ideal of the human heart and the human
soul.
-Romance is the sensation of adventure in an
ever-fresh atmosphere.
-The seeking is the
adventure. Attaining is the
fulfillment.
-To seek an emotional adventure of the highest type
for the love of danger and the possibilities of
destruction – of the body or the ego or status – is
romance.
-Romance emerges to give life to death and dead
habits.
-Romance is irresistible
sweetness, charm, and attraction issuing from a
delight of union, of integration of consciousness.
-The charm of Romance issues from its
Divine character of universal attitude and infinite
dimension.
-People of the level of Eternal Romance are very
serious, of immense Patience and unshakeable calm.
Life never troubles them. No trouble troubles them.
Their very calm calms the opposing disturbances.
Wherever they are, they make their mark
unmistakably.
-Romance is the spirit of evolution. It originates
in the body, goes to the mind, crosses the Spirit,
and spills over to the 3rd dimension of evolution.
(Paraphrase of MSS ideas on Romance, with comments
in brackets)
12/12/05
In Love
We Are Attracted to a Complementary Nature
Often what we seek in another
is that which we don't have; i.e. a complementary
nature. E.g., an emotional individual will seek out
a staid, solid character, even as a mental, calm
person will seek out someone with emotion; or an
energetic person will seek someone without much
energy, or an energyless person will seek an
energetic person, etc. etc.
We can learn from that person
and take on that missing attribute in yourself or be
self-satisfied with our own condition. In that way,
we can grow from these relationships.
By the way, the same is true for friendship; i.e.
often they have complementary nature to our own,
which we find attractive.
12/9/05
Human
to Divine Love
Human love of partner is the ordinary love we see
between two individuals. It is special but fleeting
or unfulfilling. True human love of partner (i.e.
true romantic love) is a very special form, a rarer
form of love for the partner. It is the linking of
souls. Few have it because we are satisfied with
lesser love. It is marked by romance, i.e. romance
of life. True love of anyone is selfless giving
without any expectation in return. It is beyond any
form of human love, including human true love. It is
spiritual in nature as it is in essence a movement
from soul to (any) soul. The highest love of all is
the love and surrender to the
Divine Spirit itself. Self-giving to the Divine
opens us up to the infinite potential of life, and
ultimate Joy and Delight of being. It is a path that
enables a vast leap in our evolutionary
possibilities.
12/5/05
The Process
of Evolution that Humans Can Accelerate
Sri Aurobindo, the Indian sage and seer spent
decades trying to fathom the true nature of
existence. He came to see that the universe came
about through an involution of the Spirit;
i.e. through a conscious decision of the
Divine Will, there emerged a Force and then an
Energy out of which all forms in the universe were
created. At the point where the Force/Energy emerged
form a Divine Source and coagulated into the first
forms of creation, there began the evolution of
the universe, which began as unconscious matter,
evolved an animus of life, including life forms, and
the development of mentality expressed predominantly
through primate and especially man.
While philosophers and seers like Sri Aurobindo have
attempted to explain the involution part, scientists
like Darwin have
tried to explain the evolution part; the movement
from matter to life to intelligence. Unfortunately,
these explanation have focused on the surface
realities, and the outer material processes
of evolution, as explained in such concepts as
survival of the fittest, natural selection,
spontaneous mutation, and so forth. Though there is
considerable truth in these conclusions, especially
at the material level, Sri Aurobindo believed that
they elicit only a superficial understanding of the
processes that enable evolution to move forward. He
instead focused on the inner processes of
evolution that enabled life to emerge from matter,
and mind to emerge from life. His interest was to
try to explain why these successive planes
emerged from out of one another.
Sri Aurobindo explains it this way: There is a
process of unfolding that occurs from one plane to
the next plane; e.g. from matter to life to mind.
The reason one plane emerges from the previous
because it is already involved there as
potential in the previous plane, not unlike a
seed that has the potential to develop into a tree.
When the existing plane becomes fully organized at
its level, then the next plane emerges out of it. So
the animus/life (in plant, lower life, animal,
humans) that emerged from pure matter (material
rock, gasses, et al.) were involved as potential to
begin with, and emerged when the material level was
organized enough to move to the next level. The same
with the emergence of mentality from out of
animus/life. (There are actually many subplanes and
stratas in between.)
Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that what really
compels the emergence of the next plane is the
underlying (original) spirit that is embedded
in each plane, pushing that plane's potential to
emerge from its current plane into the next plane.
(In the involution the Spirit was self-absorbed and
hidden beginning in the Force and Energy and then
the matter that emerged in the universe.) Since
spirit, which is really the same spirit that created
the universe in the first place, i.e. the Divine
spirit, is infinitely creative, what emerges
in the next plane is always dynamically new and
creative; it is always an unexpected manifestation
of new forms of consciousness. After all, who could
have conceived a thinking being from the plant, or
perhaps a future spiritual being from the current
mental-based man?
You might ask at this point, how does this all
relate to me? Well Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that
from time immemorial Nature has led this
process of ascendance upward from matter to
animus/life to mind. It is the slow and painful
method by which life normally progresses. Now
however the human being, the self-conscious,
self-determining mental human can now take
the evolution further. By connecting to his inner
being, to his spiritual soul within, or to the
Divine above, he comes in contact with the very
spiritual powers and forces that enabled the
current planes of matter, life, and mind to emerge.
He then has the capacity to collaborate with spirit
to enable further planes or sub planes to
emerge, as well as the perfection of the current
planes.
Thus man, through his conscious collaboration with
the dynamic spiritual essence, becomes the enabler
for the further evolution of
the species.
He enables new possibilities to rise in life; such
as new perceptions, insights, and ideas; new
inventions, products, and services; and new ways of
living and acting and interacting. Ultimately,
through an individual's connection to consciousness
and spirit, he becomes an instrument of human
evolution. In that way, rather than Nature being the
leader of our evolution, the self-conscious human
individual becomes the pioneer and leader of our
future evolution, further releasing the infinite
potential and further (spiritual) planes of life.
12/1/05
Why There is Ignorance,
Falsehood, and Evil in Creation
Why is there ignorance, falsehood, evil, etc. in the
world is a subject that has bee discussed throughout
the ages. No one has come up with an adequate
answer, except modern sages like Sri Aurobindo who
have the advantage of bridging evolutionary theory
with spiritual experience. He explains that out of a
Divine Source emerged a universe of divided forms
including us. From an original Force/Energy, we
eventually emerged as ignorant, divided beings,
reflecting the positive and negative energies in the
universe. Then why is there positive and
negative in creation?
First, a little background of creation. The
immutable, infinite, unknowable Reality, extended
itself into a universe of forms so that those forms
could experience the same Delight of Being that It
knows. The static Joy of the Infinite would
therefore be complemented by a dynamic joy through
those forms, including us. E.g., when an individual
rises in consciousness or otherwise become more
aware, he has the joy of discovery of his true
nature, which is the experience of the Delight that
the Divine Source intended in our creation.
Then why the negative in creation? In order for the
Delight of the Spiritual Source to extend into the
greatest quantity/multiplicity of the forms, it had
to enable a universe of unlimited possibilities,
including the possibilities of the negative. The
Divine, through its deputy of Nature (as opposed to
Soul) also allowed for difficulty, pain, division,
duality, ignorance, falsehoods, and evil so that the
greatest Delight of the immutable Divine can enter
the greatest multiplicity of forms in the most
varied way, i.e. through the greatest possibilities
in the universe. This is the secret reason of
ignorance, falsehoods, and evil in life.
As we evolve to our highest nature, we will then
overcome our ignorance, falsehood, and evil, which
will create an even greater richness to life in the
future, as all possibilities (including the movement
from the current good to the greater good), are now
included, create an even more joyful, blissful, yes
Divine life on earth.
11/28/05
Commentary
on the TV series 'Lost'
The TV series 'Lost' has become popular in the
US and other parts of the world. At Growth Online,
we have developed a site to explain the meaning of
this show in terms of our unique consciousness
approach to life. Please visit if you are a fan of
the program, or even if you are curious about the
principles of life at work in the story. The
information could dramatically change the course of
your life; which in its own way is what happened to
the survivors of 'Lost.'
11/25/05
Howard
Roark, a True Individual and Personality
In Ayn Rand's
The Fountainhead we see one
individual, Howard Roark, expressing his true
individuality by thinking for himself, not being
swayed by the herd. We can say that such a person is
in contact with his inner Personality and True Self,
as opposed to others who rely on the social
imperative. When that inner force is weak though
true, relative to the world around him, society
tends to crush him and his ideals. If it is strong,
as it was in the case of Roark or a Churchill or a
Gorbachav, it can change the course of the world
around them.
How many of us think for ourselves, instead of being
determined by the herd around us, the social view,
the collective views expressed by media and popular
culture? How many of us seek to know the true truth,
the many sided truth, instead of the part and
convenient truth that the world presents to us on
the surface or that we are attached to within
ourselves.
The true Individual in that
sense is spiritual because he seeks identity with
the full object of knowledge, which the limited
normal mind of man cannot perceive. Limited, normal
mind perceives an exclusive truth, whereas the
logical and better-still illumined and intuitive
mind are powers of spiritualized mentality
that seek the inherent truth in the object of
inquiry. There is knowledge by identity with the
object. There is no separation between the knower,
the knowing, and the known. The influence of the
social herd clouds that identity, as does the
normally divided mind of man. Only when we seek the
deeper consciousness within, do we move to the wider
truth by identity.
11/22/05
False
Social Condemnation of Harry Potter
In the fourth episode,
Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire,
we see the falsehood of society at work, when he is
mistakenly ostracized by the student body for being
picked to represent his school in a tournament held
there. The student body believe that Harry has
somehow allowed himself to be selected in order to
elevate himself for his own greater glory, when in
fact he had no hand in the selection. Despite their
condemnation, he persists and lives out his truth
and performs in the tournament.
We even see a humorous life response in the course
of these events. His best friend joins the herd and
rebukes him as well. However, just before a ball is
to be held at the school, the friend receives what
he believes to be an effeminate-looking coat that
his parents have sent him to wear at the dance. That
causes him great embarrassment, since he must wear
it in front of all of his peers at the ball. It is a
negative response to his irresponsibility in joining
the student body's ostracizing of the innocent Harry
Potter. His social condemnation of Harry attracts
the coat which in turn brings social condemnation of
others upon him.
Harry meanwhile continues to
live out a life of psychological and physical
courage, showing that he is a true personality and
individual, unfettered by the false accusations
of those around him.
11/21/05
Social
vs. Individual Directed Accomplishment
One person may fit in well within the social
conventions of the time; another may not. If the
person who fits in well with the social conventions
has the skills, knowledge, energy, organization,
attitudes, values, and aspirations in life, he can
accomplish fully within the constraints of
the social environment in which he partakes. We
can say that this individual has a developed
social
character. He is one with the social aspirations,
goals, rules, functionings, etc. of the social
institution he partakes in. (Whether he makes full
use of this environment is a separate issue.)
Assuming the society around
him allows for it, a person with social character
can establish his own business, raise a family, and
accomplish a substantial work in the society. On the
other hand, if an individual with social character
also has a noble or weighty character, he may even
be able to accomplish to the level of becoming a
philanthropist or a CEO.
On the other hand, the individual who has developed
individual
character has the potential to accomplish at a far
greater level. This person thinks for himself (i.e.
"beyond the box"), which in turn opens far greater
vistas, and a greater scope for accomplishment,
achievement, and success. That's not to say that he
rejects the society he is a part of. On the
contrary, he has fully absorbed and assimilated the
present social environment and its conventions and
ideas. The difference is that he has taken these a
step further by personalizing, individualizing
them with his own values, attitudes,
and energies.
An example of this would be Steve Jobs when he first
developed Apple. There his desire to make a computer
that people were not afraid of or intimidated by to
use, was something that went beyond conventional
wisdom. Other examples are Fred Smith, founder of
Federal Express, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
The person with individual character rises to the
level of his personal ideals and values; values such
as being flexible, open-minded, and resourceful;
demonstrating character that might not normally be
associated with society or the social institutions
in which he partakes.
11/17/05
Society's
Support of the Full Emergence of the Individual
The individual in our world is left to fend for
himself. If he develops the skills and has the
necessary drive, he can succeed for himself in the
wider world. Society in that sense offers a wide
scope of possibility for each person. When we are
born unto this world, we function within the values,
influences, and institutions of society. But does
society actively support his efforts? In
America there are safety nets like social security
and unemployment. There is also the free education
that comes to all youngsters. But beyond these does
the society really support the emergence and full
flowering of the individual? When She respects the
individual and does everything to support the
prosperity, health, psychological happiness, and
personal growth of the individual, then the society
will have reached an evolutionary milestone. At that
point, whenever the individual looks around, he will
see that all of his life efforts -- from the
material to the vital and mental -- are truly
supported in some manner; that he is not left to
merely fend on his own. He will see that he can take
any risk, initiate any venture, seek to discover the
fulfillment of all parts of his being. He will be
encouraged to move upward at every plane of his
being. When society values the individual in this
way, the individual will work for the All that is
society, further strengthening it in return.
This is the support of the individual person, and
then there is a further stage where society supports
the True Individual. The True Individual is the soul
spark of that person that can flourish in the world,
capable of attracting the infinite potential of
life. If society opens itself and supports not only
the economic fulfillment of Man, but also the
psychological and spiritual development, then She
will be an existence more worth being born into. Man
will be born into the Vast Boon of this wider and
deeper social framework. That potential True
Individual can then look around and sense the
society fully supports his attempt to be fulfilled
at all planes -- physical, vital, mental; as well as
the spiritual. He will feel encouraged to explore
the psychological richness of life. He will also
feel that connecting to the spirit within and the
spiritual Force above is a natural part of being
human; that in fact society encourages it.
That will enable him to move within to the depths,
to the very soul, which will give him an
overwhelming power to invoke good fortune for
himself, as well as the society around him. By
being psychological and spiritually encouraged, the
True Individual will create infinite benefit for
himself and the world around him. At that point,
the individual and the society move into a state of
hyper progress and personal and societal growth,
which is evolution, that can culminate in
transformation of life on earth to a New Way of
Living.
11/10/05
Oblivious
Selfishness
If MAN is totally ignorant of
anything, it is that he is selfish. Men are selfish
and mean, says Sri Aurobindo. The only thing we can
do about it is to cure it in ourselves. There is an
index for being extremely selfish. That person will
ceaselessly complain about every other person that
they are selfish. There are affectionate families
that are utterly selfless. In such families, men and
woman never mention what they own, or how useful
they are to others.
Property, jewels, money, things will be used by
anyone without reference to the individual rights.
Occasionally an utterly selfish person will be born
there. He will spread his empire without anyone
standing in his way. Shamelessly he will expect
everyone to serve his own purpose. His expectation
will be abundantly fulfilled. Selfishness is
dynamic, and can reach proportions of the infinite.
A time will come when such men accuse all the others
of selfishness. It happens when he has crossed his
limits at all points of functioning.
Selfish members of a selfless family will rule the
roost, as no one in the family will bring themselves
to speak about it. His friends will constantly
caution him and warn him of its consequences, of its
unfairness, of the injustice. His one reply will be
that he is serving the family to his utmost
capacity. No amount of explanation will make him see
the truth, as he is vital and the arguments are
mental. His one grievance will be that no one around
him knows his own needs and no one is selfless
enough to meet them. What is blatant to every other
person will not be seen by him. He will be
oblivious of it. There are persons who are not
selfish; nor does anyone else perceive them to be
selfish. They are unselfish and in some areas they
are self-giving.
Suppose such a person begins to examine himself from
the point of view of selfishness, he can find
several areas where he is fully selfish and many
other acts where he can legitimately be accused of
being selfish. It is so because selfishness is
all-pervasive. The very human being is created
around a self, an ego. The Rishi who takes to tapas
moves from his human self to the divine Self within
him. Modern life in the urban areas frowns upon the
ego-trips of individuals. It is a great, good sign.
Active psychological Self-giving practiced as an
article of faith brings one’s Spirit to the surface
of his life. (MSS)
11/8/05
Grow
by Giving
Perhaps the single most powerful way to succeed in
life is to have more concern for our fellow human
beings. Normally, we are overwhelmingly concerned
about ourselves, driven by our own personal motives
and ambitions. However, the happiest people
literally lose themselves in the feelings, thoughts,
and aspirations of others.
Are you ready to "forget yourself" and be genuinely
interested in the welfare of others? Are you
willing to be tolerant and kind to others, listen
attentively and silently to their words, and be
non-judgmental and open to their opinions and points
of view? If you are, you're an excellent candidate
for great success in life, not to mention an
ever-increasing personal happiness and joy.
Try a little experiment. When you meet with others,
immediately put yourself in their shoes. Think only
of what they want. Listen carefully to their
thoughts and feelings, and show genuine concern and
empathy. Do this for the entire meeting. Now watch
how the interaction goes. Watch how the energy level
of the other person increases. The other individual
becomes more animated and involved.
In addition, if you watch closely, you may notice
some interesting things starting to happen. An
unthought of point of view or perspective may be
raised in the conversation. New ideas or fresh new
insights are suddenly revealed. Or, a new
interesting idea, project or event might suddenly
come out of the discussion. This all happens because
you have shifted your concern toward the other
person.
But there's more. If you pay very close attention,
you'll see that there might be an added "response
from life." For example, during the conversation,
someone might call in a great new project to you; or
a dramatic new development might arise in some area
of your work. This is life itself "responding" to
your concern for another person. It is a hidden
power that we have witnessed dozens of times in the
past.
11/3/05
Emergence
of the Spiritual Age & Divine Life on Earth
Beyond the physical-based social life of early man
(marked by survival, fear, subservience, etc.), the
vital-based social life of the past five hundred
years (emerging through trade, travel, discovery,
adventure, and the fulfillment of the individual
needs, wants, and desires), and the currently
emerging mental-based age (indicated by freedom,
individuality, democracy, education, rationality,
technology, and the common man) is the possibility
of the emergence of a spirit-based age and
collective existence.
In this highest form of social or collective life,
the domination of the ordinary mind -- of surface
preoccupation, of partial knowledge -- gradually
wanes and is replaced with a mind and life dominated
by the spirit. This transition to this age begins
when a good number of individuals take to a higher
orientation of consciousness, including an opening
to the logic, rationality, and intuitions of
knowledge; an opening to the spiritual Force in the
atmosphere; and a connection to the spirit through
our Soul and True Self within. As a result of that
supra-mental orientation, one develops the capacity
to move life outside one's self from within; one
takes to the highest of human and spiritual values;
one endeavors to purify, perfect, and elevate of
planes of our being -- physical, vital, and mental;
and one continually makes the deep soul to soul
connection with others. As a result, a new
spirit-oriented life on earth begins to emerge. When
a critical mass of such pioneering spirit-oriented
individuals forms, a collective life oriented around
the spirit can emerge throughout the society --
culminating in a divine life on earth.
Movements
Toward Human Unity
-Just as an individual can grow and evolve, so can
an institution, a nation, and the world itself. In
other words, the world, like the individual, is
undergoing its own growth, development, and
evolution.
-Likewise, just as we as individuals can progress
and evolve by creating a higher level of unity
and oneness with others and the world around
us, so can institutions, nations, and the peoples of
the world. As the world moves in that direction, it
is in essence moving towards higher levels of world unity.
-There
are many levels of world unity, ranging from the
political to the economic to the social to the
cultural to the psychological to the spiritual. The
European Union is a recent example of political and
economic integration, as was the UN earlier on. We
are for the most part now at a relatively early
point of political and economic integration and
unity.
-If
we deeply bond with the social and cultural values
of other peoples, we will be taking an even greater
leap towards world unity. Look for that to occur in
the coming decades. Beyond that is the psychological unity of the world, where the
peoples of the world are so connected with one
another that their shared purpose and emotional
intensity toward one another is as great as one
might feel towards members of one's own family.
At the
spiritual level of world unity, there
is the greatest bond and unity, as we have a shared
experience of the Spiritual Reality, which reveals
our ultimate purpose of life on earth, and an
extreme delight and joy of being.
10/31/05
The Evolution of
Individual
Nations
Just as every individual is an
amalgam of positive and negative attributes whose
being is growing and evolving, so too each nation of
the world has an evolving character that expresses
both positively and negatively. Each nation can in
fact be said to represent a
different aspect of human
consciousness and capacity. For example, France is
said to represent "clarity of thought;" Russia "the
brotherhood of man;" the USA "practical
organization;" and India "the spiritual teacher
(i.e. guru) of the world." Each nation then
expresses a ray, or several rays of truth,
knowledge, and capacity, reflecting the best of
human character and consciousness. Similarly, every
nation also expresses its own wanting propensities
for falsehood, ignorance, and incapacity. By
accentuating the former, and overcoming the latter,
the growth, development, and evolution of nations is
made possible.
10/30/05
The
Evolutionary
Planes of the Individual (the
Vertical Scale)
Over time, the individual human has developed a
range of qualities, capacities, and planes that in
many ways parallels the principles that occur in the
unfolding of the universe and life on earth.
Matter of the universe takes shape as the physical body in the individual; Life in the
universe has become the life force and vital
consciousness in the individual; Mind in the
universe has manifest as the mental consciousness in
the individual; and the Spirit in the universe is a
spiritual plane of consciousness that the individual
can rise to through the spiritualized mind, and deep
within through one's evolving soul.
The physical, vital, and
mental planes all exist and are simultaneously
active in each person, though the extent of
their relative development and the preponderance
of the influence they exercise on the
personality differs from person to person. Also,
the physical, vital, and mental exist and
function
interdependently
among one another. (The fourth plane, the
spiritual occurs in only a very few
individuals.)
10/27/05
The Evolutionary Planes
of the Individual (the Horizontal Scale)
It is not too difficult to
comprehend that we essentially consist of distinct
aspects or centers of consciousness; a physical, a
vital, a mental, and a spiritual plane. We can call
this grouping the "vertical scale of human
consciousness." However, there is another scale of
human consciousness that is also part of our human
makeup, though it is far less understood or even
perceived as real. This other scale ranges from our
outer surface consciousness to an inner
consciousness in the depths of our being. One way to
imagine this is a series of concentric circles
expanding out from the center of our being to the
outer surface. The outer circle would be the surface
of life we experience at the most material level;
the inner circle would be our deepest parts within.
We can choose to live on the surface of life or be
centered in the depths of our being. The more we are
influenced by the positive elements of the depths
there are also negative elements), the higher our
consciousness; the more we live on he surface, i.e.
the outer rings, the less conscious we are of the
world. As we bring the higher consciousness of the
depths to our surface life, replacing the current
surface occupations of the outer material world
experienced through our sense, the more we evolve.
This movement is a key to our future growth and
development as a species.
The inner consciousness (or
being) consists of unconscious parts and very
conscious parts. The unconscious parts include the
inconscient and the subconscient (subconscious),
while the conscious parts consist of the subliminal,
or subtle physical, vital, and mental parts, and
more conscious still, the personal evolving soul,
the True Self behind the subliminal being.
As we move our consciousness away from the surface
of life and more towards the inner positive
Subliminal being and even greater still to the
Personal Evolving Soul (the Psychic Being) we break
the bonds of our limited nature. We begin to come in
contact with greater forces and powers within, which
enable us to have greater control of the outer live;
which breaks down our limiting, separative
ego-sense, which overcomes our fundamental
Ignorance which prevents us from having true,
integral Knowledge, open us up to universal forces
and powers, and enables us to experience the
greatest Delight of existence.
10/25/05
Moving
to the Depths Within
We can move the focus of our consciousness away from
the surface of life, from the bubblings and
churnings of the outer existence, to a deeper poise
within. Stationed in this deeper poise inside
ourselves, we are able to shift our consciousness
from preoccupation with the sense data streaming
into our minds from the outside through our five
senses, to a clearer and more rational state of
mindfulness. As we move our concentration from the
surface to the depths, not only do we withdraw our
consciousness from the bombardment of surface visual
and audible sense inputs to the clear rationality
and logic of thought, but we move away from our ego
sense, of our sense of separateness from others and
the environment. As a result, we develop a wider
view; and we are able to embrace the multiplicity
and right relation of life unfolding around us,
enabling perceptions of the true truth of the life
before us. This in turn leads us to perceptions of
the possibilities before us, which provides choices,
out of which we can make the right decisions,
resulting in actions that end in perfect success.
Let's take an example. An individual who is living
in his surface consciousness is listening to a
conversation that others are having. He picks up on
one point that is particularly striking to him,
which is to make sure that he downloads the latest
updates to his virus protection software. The rest
of the crowd responds loudly in agreement. This
information is very helpful. However, had he truly
listened to other aspects of the conversation; had
he had the inner wherewithal to sense the
deeper meaning between the words, he would have
perceived other critical issues being addressed;
issues so important that it could have changed the
course of his career. If, through meditation, inner
concentration, or other means, he had established a
deeper poise within, he would have had the ability
to perceive issues that were critical to his life.
Thus, we see that establishing a poise that is
untouched by the perturbations of the surface,
centered in the quietude within enables us to have
an even greater grasp of the unfoldings of life
outside ourselves. We thus access a great power, as
we are able to continually have more knowledge,
which allows us to make better decisions, and thus
take to the right actions that lead to great success
in life.
10/23/05
Sri
Aurobindo's Vision of Future Life on Earth
Sri Aurobindo, the Indian sage and seer,
indicated that the human being may not be the
final rung on the evolutionary scale. That we
might witness the emergence of a new species,
one that is superior in all ways to our current
human functioning.
Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the
ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we
could rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if
we could come in contact and open ourselves to
the spiritual Force that is increasingly in the
earth’s atmosphere, we can transform ourselves
into this new supra-human status.
He thus invited us to set out on a path of
discovery in which we would move from our
current human functioning to a new supramental
status, opening the way to a life of great
accomplishment and success, as well as the
continuous experience of peace, harmony, wisdom,
truth, creativity, love, and delight.
10/21/05
Man
Emerging into the
Mental &
Spiritual Dimension
"A thousand years ago man was
physical. His life was elementary. He survived.
Today he has multiplied his comforts, enjoyment,
reach, mastery a hundred or even a thousand-fold.
The progress in one millennium has been phenomenal.
This occurred because man moved from being physical
to being mental. Though he has not yet acquired a
fully formed mental life, a rational life, certainly
he has moved away from the physical to the vital
life. Both body and vitality accept the guidance of
the mind, at least in material matters. Thus, we can
say that man today is mental.
If this phenomenal expansion was the result of
moving from the physical to the mental, moving from
mind to the Spirit can bring another phenomenal
expansion of similar magnitude. Today’s life will
further expand in its richness, inner peace, outer
security, harmony and, especially, in Prosperity a
thousand-fold." (MSS)
10/19/05
Evolutionary
Stages
of Society
-Just as the universe evolved from matter to life to
mind; and the individual parallels that development
in his body, his vital, and his mind, so too the
society has evolved from a physical state of
survival beginning say 100,000 years ago, to a vital
stage during the middle of the last millennium,
focused on trade, and interaction with others; to a
mental stage that he is now currently unfolding in
which we see the emergence of freedom, democracy,
higher organization, education, and individual
self-fulfillment.
-The currently emerging Mental stage of social
development is indicated by an increase in freedom,
democracy, mental inquisitiveness, human
fulfillment, and higher levels of organization.
-The Internet is reflective of the further emergence
of the power of Mind. The Internet is an outer
reflection, form of the Mental stage of human
development.
-The more complex and interrelated the systems of an
organization is, the more development and
evolution there is in society.
-Beyond the mental age of
society is the spiritual age, indicated by harmony,
unity, collaboration, peace, spiritual
connectedness, unlimited infinite potential of
accomplishment, success, and joy. There is also the
utilization of the Divine Spirit, i.e. the
Force (which can also be accessed even in the mental
age) to create instant life response,
accomplishment, and possibility in life.
10/16/05
Overcoming
Western Limits of Mind & Its Evil by Embracing the
Consciousness the East Knows
In 1830, China and India had 50% of the world's GDP.
What happened
thereafter? They failed
to improve like the
West. In Europe science
developed, and then
technology. Religious
dogma was cast aside.
The continent (and the
US) boomed. Science and
technology brought great
prosperity to the West.
But then her science brought problems, even evil in
the form of nuclear weapons,
pollution, and materialism. The mind
that had shed the dogma of religion
and opted for the rationality of
science had gradually fallen into a
physical-oriented world view of
science and technology. She was
unable to see into the deeper, more
subtle issues and workings of life.
In other words, spirit was beyond
her prevue.
And yet China and especially India had the ancient
knowledge of the deepest truths of
life, and the various paths to
higher consciousness. Still they
were buried in the recesses of their
societies and did not come out for
them, or the world. The Spirit could
not be applied to daily life, but
was only for those who experienced
divine Liberation (Moksha) apart
from it.
Now India and China are
using the technology of the West,
and as a result have the opportunity
for the spirit to express in the
details of life. Also, the rising of
the East has gotten the attention of
the West and the latter can learn to
understand the ways of the spirit
and apply it in their dynamic
societies as well. That way the West
can avoid the limited physical view
of life, and embrace its subtle,
psychological, and spiritual
components, which will help it avoid
the bi-product of evil that comes
through a material only view of the
world.
10/7/05
Rapid
Progress in Life by Consciously Following a Process
of Growth & Accomplishment
Normally when we make progress in life it is because
life presses on us to move forward. Rarely is it as
a result of our own conscious choice and decision.
Over the long course of our lives, such 'forced
progress' occurs in unpredictable ways, sometimes
through happy, but often through unhappy
experiences; even catharsis. Surely, this is not the
most efficient way to progress in life. And yet that
is the way the overwhelming majority of us progress.
I call such inefficient, unpredictable,
life-meandering progress unconscious
growth.
On the other hand, conscious growth is the
ability to use the power of our minds to
self-conceptualize that which we wish to become, and
then follow a process that enables us to quickly turn that
wish into a living reality. If
we understand this process, and ardently follow its
methods, we can achieve at many times
our current level, and do so with much less effort, and
in a far shorter period of time.
That is the overwhelming efficiency of
consciously following the process of growth and accomplishment
in life.
10/2/05
Really
Wanting a Thing Rapidly Achieves It
When
you really want something, life tends to move
toward you with good fortune
and brings about your heart's desire.
On the other hand, if you are indifferent,
half-heartedly hoping for something to occur, then
there is unlikely to be any substantive results;
i.e. life will unlikely respond.
Therefore, if you shift from indifference to
intensity, life will quickly begin to cooperate
with your intention.
There is a wonderful scene in the British broadcast
version of Pride and Prejudice in which
Eliza Bennet wanders off into the countryside,
climbs a remote hilltop, and suddenly comes upon, of
all people, Mr. Darcy. While this scene might strike
some as the artifice of a director trying to
manipulate the story for dramatic effect, from a
deeper perspective we see that this is precisely how life works. Because both have such
strong emotions towards one another, and want to be
with the other person, they move toward the same place at
the same time, enabling a simultaneous life
response for both. Their intense longing for one another is
so strong that their energies move out into the
field of life and find a common point in space/time
where they come together.
The ancient Indian texts known
as the Upanishads declare, “You are what your
deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your
intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As
is your will, so is your deed. As is your deed, so
is your destiny.” [ep]
9/25/05
The
Power of
Personal
Values
A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy
that is meaningful to us. Whether we are
consciously aware of them or not, every individual
has a core set of personal values. Values can
range from the commonplace, such as the belief in
hard work and punctuality, to the more
psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for
others, and harmony of purpose.
When we examine the lives of famous people, we
often see how personal values guided them,
propelling them to the top of their fields. For
example, one actor was motivated by his
commitment to social justice, which led
to important acting roles related to that value
that made him world famous. Likewise, a
well-known business CEO was motivated by the
personal value that technology should be easy
to use, which caused his company to spawn
the personal computer revolution. Whatever one's
values, when we take them to heart and implement
them in the smallest
details
of our lives, great accomplishment and success
invariably follow.
Just as individuals subscribe to values, so do
organizations and institutions.
In fact, if we were to
examine any company, we would discover that one
or more business values was the key to their
success. Examples are --
-- Sears' commitment to trusting the customer. [From the
19th century onward, any product could be
returned to the company with a money back
guarantee, which engendered great trust in both
directions, enabling booming sales, and, the
great success for the firm that followed.]
-- Apple Computer's belief in the values of solving problems of
society. [The company created the IPod
player and ITunes online music store to overcome
a conflict between those who sought to download
copyrighted music for free and the music
industry which sought to protect its artists and
its revenues.]
-- Marriott's values of systemization and standardization.
[The company created a standard model hotel, and
then duplicated it hundreds of time around the
world, enabling it to grow incredibly fast, and
become the leader of its industry.]
Likewise, we see how political parties and politicians subscribe to
certain core values -- ranging from helping the
poor, easing the burden of the middle class,
improving the environment, making government
responsive and efficient, engendering loyalty
and unity, and so forth.
The key point to keep in mind about values is
that implementing them energizes
everything concerned with it. For an individual,
committing to and applying values releases fresh
energies, which always attract success,
achievement, and well-being. Likewise, when
companies or other institutions adopt values,
individuals working at the organization become
energized, as do its customers, its products and
services, and everyone and everything else
associated with that organization.
We can energize our lives by making the full
effort to implement the values we subscribe to.
Once we identify values that are meaningful to
us, we can develop strategies to implement them.
When we make the determined effort to implement
those strategies, good fortune is sure to follow
-- in the form of new opportunities, new sources
of revenue and income, and other forms of
material and psychological benefit. We may even
notice that as we implement values, we
experiences instances of "life response" --
where good fortune suddenly comes to us from
seemingly out of nowhere, defying our normal
perceptions of what is logical and possible.
9/16/05
Inner-Outer
Correspondence
What we experience on the outside is a direct
reflection of what we are inside. I.e. there is
a correspondence between our inner psychological
condition -- including our habits, wants,
feelings, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs --
and how the world takes shape outside ourselves.
This would suggest that if we were shifted our
consciousness within, life on the
outside would instantly respond in kind.
Such response to our inner condition can take
shape in two ways -- positively or negatively.
E.g. just after I decide that I will no longer
allow myself to have negative feelings towards
another, I am informed that I've been selected
to head an exciting and lucrative new project.
Inversely, a moment after I feel an intense
negative emotion towards a fellow worker, I am
informed that an important project I've been
working has been cancelled.
From this perspective, we see that our normal views
of what is logical and possible, of how cause and
effect relate, and how space and time function are rendered obsolete. Instead, we develop
a new view, a new perception of the true subtle
associations and relationships amongst objects and
individuals in the universe.
9/9/05
What
You Really Want Achieves
If on the outside you do a work, but on
the inside you do not enjoy it, or aspire for
something else, there is little chance that your
current efforts will not lead to long-lasting
success. As a result, you will fall short of
your real potential.
However, if your outer efforts have the
endorsement of your will and emotions, then your
outer efforts will result in
great
success, often coming though instances of sudden
good fortune.
9/3/05
Moving
From Weakness to Strength Attracts
Inner, psychological strength is an
important determining factor in your ability to
succeed in life. We have seen that those who are
psychologically strong succeed; while those who
are weak fall back or fail. We have also noticed
that if you make the effort to exercise strength
in areas where you have demonstrated weakness in
the past, life can suddenly respond in your
favor.
For example, one man moved from weakness
to strength by bringing up an important issue
with a business partner that he was previously
reluctant to raise. As a result, not only did he
resolve that particular problem, but a six-month
neck ache instantly disappeared!
Action Plan: Think about ways you have been, or are currently expressing
psychological weakness in your work, in your
relationships, or in other areas of your life.
Consider what was, or is at the root of the
problem. Now come up with a plan to exercise
your strength, and then carry it out. Watch as
life responds suddenly responds with good
fortune.
8/28/05
Seeing
the Multiplicity that Makes Up the Whole
"The test of a first rate intelligence
is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the
mind at the same time, and still retain the
ability to function." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
One person wants to fight terrorism by
wiping out the perpetrators. Another wants to
stop them by eliminating the root cause --
poverty. Is it not possible to believe both
simultaneously: i.e. to end terrorism by going
after them even as we eliminate the cause, which
is poverty?
To hold two (or more) ideas in the mind
is not only a test of a first rate intelligence,
but the beginning of true knowledge, which is a
spiritual quality. True knowledge is to see the
multiplicity of factors behind a situating or
subject, and to see their interrelationship; to
see their connection to an essential whole of
truth relative to the subject.
To see the integral whole of
possibilities rather than the single part is a
sign of the emergence of the spirit in the mind,
while only perceiving the single part is the
root cause of human Ignorance, which leads to
falsehood, folly, and wrong action. It can even
perpetrate evil.
To see the part, not the Whole and its
integral parts is the normal status of human
Ignorance that is born of creation. To see the
integrated multiplicity and Whole of a matter or
subject is to discover the Truth of it. It is to
gain Integral Knowledge, which is our destiny,
and an indicator of the future course of human
evolution.
How do we move from Ignorance to
Integral Knowledge? When we move out of ego, we
rise in consciousness and begin the process of
accepting more of the truths of life, including
the multiple parts, Essence, and Whole of any
matter. We move from assertion and opinion to
the many-sided, integral truth of a matter.
How do we move out of ego? We do so when
we move from the surface of life, where we are
overcome by the inputs of our five senses,
especially sound and sight, and discover a
deeper poise within where we are far more
receptive to the multiplicity of truths
regarding the object of our attention.
In the deepest depths,
we find our True Selves, our Evolving Soul.
There we are very much in tune with the flow of
life, its subtle hints and portents, which give
us a more integral and truth-penetrating
knowledge, enabling us to take right actions
that evoke miraculous-like results. Poised in
our Evolving Soul, we experience continuous
intuitions of knowledge, which provide us with a
perpetual understanding of the multi-dimensional
nature of life, from which we act and evoke
powerful response from life.
8/23/05
Change
an Attitude to Make Life
Instantly
Respond
We are filled with attitudes
acquired from our family, friends, and the environment. They are
also in the very fiber of our being, inherited
through our genes. Many of our attitudes are
fine, while others are less than stellar.
However, if we can identify a bad attitude, and make an effort
to change it, we will not only raise our consciousness, but life
will suddenly respond with unexpected bursts of
good fortune.
A salesperson was intimidated about
meeting
a very large customer. He felt that the effort
was a waste of time since the company was too large and could never
be penetrated. As it turned out, he didn't get
the sale. However, a number of months later, he
changed his attitude
about approaching such larger-type customers. The very day
that he changed his attitude, the very same
customer, who turned him down months earlier,
gave him a huge order.
As we see, changing a negative
attitude
has an amazing way of attracting positive conditions from
life. We call this phenomenon "life response." It is a power available to us every moment of the day, meaning
that our ability to evoke the miraculous is
always at our disposal.
8/16/05
The Great Secret:
Opening to the Force
Perhaps the greatest secret known to Man is the
existence of a Power that when accessed can
attract sudden good fortune from the world
around us. By opening to this Power, to this
spiritual
Force
before commencing any activity, major or minor,
one is likely to notice a sudden change in luck,
as life cooperates from the most unexpected
quarters. Some true-life examples:
--A man was trying to figure out a complex
computer programming problem. At one point he
decided to stop racking his brain, and opened to
the higher Power, after which he forgot about
the problem. A minute later, not only did a
solution come to him, but that insight suggested
a solution to a host of related problems.
--An instructor's class was going very poorly
one morning.
Nothing seemed to go right. He then
decided to consecrate the afternoon session by
offering it to the spiritual Force. Thereafter,
every conceivable thing went right during
the remainder of the class. In addition, he felt
a palpable peace and richness throughout that
period.
As we see, opening to the Force before
commencing an act has the power to attract
“instantaneous miraculousness”, as problems are
quickly solved, as unexpected possibilities
present themselves, and as a profound peace,
richness, and joy fills our being.
It is
the power of consecration in action.
8/13/05
Moving
from Ignorance to Integral Knowledge
We live in an essential Ignorance born of
creation, perceiving only a tiny glimpse of that
which is unfolding around us, or of the object
we are trying to know. To make matters worse, we
are also overly attached to that extremely
limited perception, which reflect in our limited
actions and their finite results. In fact, the
limited aspect(s) we believe to be true (out of
the infinite reality that makes up the truth) is
likely to be error filled or downright false.
In this way, we know a tiny fraction of the
truth that is unfolding around us at any moment;
or the nature of the object that we are trying
to know. It is an astonishing mental
inefficiency born of creation. In this way, we
are actually far closer to the primate than to
being a fully realized mental human being.
The cause of this fundamental Ignorance of Man
is rooted in the essential limited nature of
Mind, which is exclusive and does not seek to
know all sides of the truth, but that which
neatly fits our physical and vital needs. It in
turn is supported by our ego nature which is
seperative and divided.
Fortunately, by rising to a deeper
consciousness, we can overcome our limited
perceptions, enabling mind to overcome its
narrow focus and exclusive nature; embracing the
many sides of truth unfolding around us. From
that status, we will have a far vaster
understanding and knowledge of the conditions we
come upon, enabling powerful insight, and
perfect decisions that lead to enormously
successful outcomes.
Additional:
Acquiring True, Integral
Knowledge
8/11/05
Evolution through
Contradictory Complements
Life evolves through the conflicts between two
parties, who are trying to work out a higher
harmony. This is the secret method and way of
Nature. E.g., the Mexican-US immigrant problem on
their border is indicative of Mexico's inability to
overcome its poverty, which then necessitates a
crossing over of illegal immigrants the border to
the US to its riches, as well as the US intolerance,
including its traditional distain and insensitivity
of nations near its borders to the south. Nature
pits these two forces at odds, so that each can grow
into a higher order and consciousness. Furthermore,
it is only through this conflicting pairing
that each side can grow. It is the method of Nature
to higher levels of harmony through contradictory
opposites, which are from the deeper view of life
really positive complementaries. All around the
world, we see these contradictory complement pairs
trying to move from its current state of falsehood
and limitation to a higher status. It is Nature's
Way of progress. (There is also a higher way through
the power of Spirit and Soul.)
8/10/05
The Miraculous Phenomenon
of Life Response
"Life Response" is the way life suddenly, abundantly, and miraculously responds
positively on the outside to a corresponding
change of one’s consciousness
within,
defying normal notions of cause and effect, and space and time. E.g., you change an attitude
and
suddenly a moment later someone who you never
knew before contacts you from half way round the
world with news of a big contract or substantial
monetary gain. We can learn to invoke such
response all of the time, enabling vast
accomplishment,
success, and happiness
in our lives.
In life response
what might have taken considerable time occurs rapidly, as events,
people, place, and things conspire to overcome
normally perceived constraints of life, evoking
unexpected circumstances that render new,
creative, and dynamic realities.