The Path to Higher Consciousness

 

Last week I had an interesting and impactful interaction with my seven year old son. I asked him, what differentiates humans from all animal species.  He gave all possible de-markers that could come to the mind of a seven year boy – reading, writing, dancing etc. And I with my worldly knowledge gave him instances from movies where he had seen animals dancing, reading and writing. After exhausting all his options, he posed for a minute and then said magic words. His pure soul said something which our informed and educated mind could rarely find. He said that, one attribute which differentiates animals and humans is THINKING.

The whole day I was amazed by this wonderful reply. Again and again, the reply forced me look into various dimensions of thinking.  What exactly is that we call thinking ? What are the backward and forward linkages for thinking? When  of our life is full of unresolved, are we giving adequate thinking to these unresolved issues ? What are the ways and means for effective thinking ?

 I also realized on the day that for every question, the answer is already within us. The key issue is whether we are willing to be silent for some time and find the answers from within. At most of the times we are so much overwhelmed by the sounds of outside world that we cannot hear the true voice from inside.

It is often said that man is a social animal. We are partly animals because the modern day human has evolved from the animal ancestors. The behavior of our ancestors because of uncivilized nature was dominated by fight or flight tendency.  There were no systems or methods to run the society and survival was the key issue. Based on the strength of the opponent, the choice had to immediate – fight or flight. The approach to every problem was totally reactionary, with no space for thinking.

Over time, with the growth of science and literature, humans were supposed to be more civilized.  They were supposed to be spending more time on thinking and less time on reacting. But, the demands of the elite class, wanted them to be animals. A small thinking group of humans with their intentions to rule others, created education and job systems, where majority of humans continued to be animals in behavior. In terms of materialistic pleasures like food, clothing, shelter etc. they appeared humans but in behavior they were animals, always reactionary in thinking and violent in action.  

With the advent of information age this is bound to change. The organizational structure of businesses, polity and society is changing dramatically  and knowledge workers are high in demand. But at the same time, the education and capacity development systems are not changing accordingly. In large parts of the world, till today, education focusses on memorizing of facts and not on thinking minds.

Gautama Buddha said that only mind matters. We are what we think. If our thinking is negative and regressive with  intentions of self centered and materialistic outcome, the entire world around us is structured on competitive thinking.  Everybody’s life becomes a zero sum game.  As our actions are guided by our thinking, we act with suspicion, resulting in distrust, pain and agony in our life. Our life is full of materialistic pleasure but with no inner peace.  Reverse is also true. This is the forward linkage of thinking.

Modern psychological research suggests we think what we believe. Thinking is an act of conscious mind. Our thinking is based on a set of beliefs which we have collected  from our parents, family, society and with life experiences.  Our beliefs are stored in our sub conscious mind and are a kind of universal truth to the conscious mind. Beliefs are quick and undisputed commands to the mind for analyzing the data it receives from five senses and to derive conclusions. Our beliefs determine on what will be think and how will we act in life.  Changing the beliefs radically changing our life experiences and outcomes  from undesired  to desired. In a nutshell, beliefs are our frozen thoughts about ourselves and about the world.

Every human being, over time develops both empowering and disempowering beliefs. Empowering beliefs are those which are based on universal laws of nature and which accepts the eternal truth and spiritual wisdom. These beliefs makes us more open, trustworthy, loving, caring and inspiring. Dis-empowering beliefs on the other hand are based on the five senses of the outer world and hence are based on materialistic sense of achievements and fulfillment. For a case in the point, a belief  that we all are part of the whole and hence everybody is catalyst to our growth, makes us to trust others. We are ready to share good things with those around us and in the process become part of the universal system of exchange of positive energy. At the end of the day, we not only grow but also help others to grow.

Conversely, if we believe that the supply in the universe is limited, we see life as a war and winning becomes our only goal. In the process, we start looking others around us as competitors and thus look upon people with suspicion and mistrust. In every victory of others, we see our defeat and attracts pain and misery in life. 

The key to living a fulfilling life is have a belief system based on cognitive thinking and spiritual wisdom.  Spiritual wisdom allows us to see who we are, what is our place in the universe and what is the purpose of our existence. Once we have an understanding of these bigger questions in life, we develop a higher understanding of ourselves and everyone and everything around us. We start to see the bigger picture and small things stops bothering us.  Cognitive thinking helps us to understand and adopt the true nature of our mind, which is cause of everything that happens in our life. Cognitive thinking gives us necessary tools and techniques  to keep our mind on right track. 

Spiritual wisdom is the consciousness of the invisible and an understanding of the universal mind. Spiritual wisdom is religion neutral. Contrary to what is conventionally thought of, spirituality is the art and science of doing things more effectively, perfectly and purposefully. Some of the key components of spiritual wisdom which are essential for effective thinking  are as follows. 

a.      We are part of the whole and are essentially consciousness 
b.      What is invisible is true and hence permanent. What is visible is temporary. 
c.      We are here with a purpose  and we are equipped with everything that is required    
          to fulfill the purpose. 
d.      Our purpose is to find that purpose and live it effortlessly. 
e.      We live in a world where change is the only constant and dynamic exchange of   
         energy  at various levels is the cause of all change. Change is essential for evolution. 
f.        Nothing is impossible and everything happens for  reason.

The above mentioned facts are extracts of Vedic science.  A clear understanding of the higher design of the universe is essential to create a bank of empowering beliefs. Beliefs backed by spiritual science are sustainable and deeply embedded in our character and personality.  Some of the empowering beliefs, backed by spiritual wisdom are 

a.      I am blessed soul, equipped by nature to fulfill my purpose. 
b.      No one or nothing  is good or bad. It is our perception which is good or bad. When perception changes, our life changes. 
c.       Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 
d.      Life is naturally abundant and beautiful. There is enough for everyone 
e.      Smile  is the best reaction  to critical situations in life and Silence is the best answer to ridiculous situations in life. 
f.        Everything happens for a reason. There are no mistakes, only experiences and lessons. 
g.      I can do anything if I apply my mind in the right way 
h.      Adversity seeks to strip away everything that does not belong to us so that we can see to ourselves who we really are. Indeed, adversity seeks to introduce us to ourselve
 j.        All wicked things in life  feed on  ignorance and fear. 
k.       Good things never die and bad things never exist. We experience bad in life only when there is absence of positive energy. 
l.        Power lies in the invisible. Everything is curable from inside. 
m.    Service is the very purpose  of Life. It is the rent we pay for being here. The more we are useful to others, the more purposeful is our life. 
n.      All our unhappiness springs from the fact that we can't sit quietly in a room even for an hour 
o.      Nature always maintain balance. When one door closes, another door opens somewhere. But we are so regretful about closed door that we never see the opened door. 
p.      We are never given anything in this world that we can’t handle 
q.      To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders        
r.       We make world a better place by making ourselves a better person 
s.       There are two ways of spreading the light. Be the mirror or be the candle 
t.        Do not give up easily, the beginning is always the hardest 
u.      Great things always begins from inside. If an egg is broken from outside life ends, but if an egg is broken from inside life begins. 
v.       Everything we are currently experiencing in our life, comes about in order to assist us in evolving to a higher level of consciousness. Even what we perceive as bad, sad, negative or upsetting is here to assist us in seeing life in a more peaceful, forgiving and loving way. 
w.     A  man who treats his wife like a princess is a proof that he has been born and raised in the arms of a queen. 
x.       If god is answering our prayers, he is increasing our faith. If he delays it, he is increasing our patience and if doesn’t answer it , he knows we can handle. 
y.       Whenever u dislike  something, it represent something u are repelling inside u 
z.       We fail when we stop trying. We stop trying when we stop believing. 

This list is endless. Each one of us can have our own list of  empowering beliefs. Our experiences in life always give our beliefs, which we need most to do what we need to act. Good beliefs must result in good thinking and good action. Without faith and practice, these are mere statements. The key to success is three folded.

a.      Be conscious of your beliefs and convert limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs. 
b.      Make your empowering beliefs part of your character. If they are not part of our inner world, it cannot be reflected in the outer world i.e. behavior and personality. 
c.       Synchronize your beliefs, thinking and actions. Most of the problems of our life springs from the fact that either we act without thinking or we think and do not act. 

We think only when our mind is silent. As our level of consciousness grows from contracted state to expanded state to pure awareness, our set of empowering beliefs keep on expanding.  Our experience of a fulfilling and joyous life enriches our existence. Our conscious gets right guidance and un-conscious gets connected with the universal.  In every moment, we feel happy with smile on our face and peace in our heart. Life becomes magic. When the soul is well, all is well.

Think Good, Live Well