Occupy The Self: The Importance of Inviting Auspiciousness

It was a typical trick. Bait and switch. It was not minutes since i had realized i had been swindled off $1200. I was lured in with the promise of an employee discount which was yanked away when I went to renew my apartment lease, and then further increases were added on as my state has a lack of rent control laws. Yet, the cycle of emotions that followed afterwards amazed me to the bone.

For about ten days, I have been playing with a few meditation principles that deal with beginnings and ends. Whether its a project or a simple emotion that arises causing pleasure or pain, if we can control for the beginning and end of the thought process, the outcomes are amazing.

Shri Mataji advises in 1985 on success and happiness in endeavors of all natures on the occasion of Guru Purnima festival and celebration in Paris, France. The thoughts that follow, are heavily derived from the guidelines by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi on this occasion, and several other occasions.

In many endeavors in our lives we are sometimes deprived of opportunities, sometimes we are confounded by overinformation, both to the end of being mislead and entrapped by stronger entities like corporations, who know better about laws and use their knowledge to exploit us. The result is the failure of our endeavors, the failure of our efforts and wasted time & energy. The solution is to ensure the beginning and the end are divine-compliant.

The Beginnings of Endeavors
The beginnings have to start with not just a ritual to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, but a genuine, heartfelt invitation for him to be involved in what is to follow. That could be something as short and quick as a contemplation or something long drawn out like a project. The involvement of the Lord of the first chakra brings auspicious grounding for the purpose and the success.

The Middle and the End of Endeavors
And, as far as the end point of endeavors is concerned, the question remains, how do we measure our success? Again, in something as short as a few minutes of introspection or a decades long endeavor of any nature. We cannot manage, something we cannot measure. We cannot declare the end of an endeavor unless we feel we have failed or succeeded. The benchmarking process is simply to check vibrations at the milestones along the endeavor. The check is simple and effective because the measure is a summative variables of all and any variable deemed relevant to success: Vibrations. The pleasing flow of energy through us, which is calm and soothing. This corresponds to the pleasing of our inner energy, the Mother Kundalini.

So simply, we begin, progress and conclude by checking vibrations.

However, the process has a pleasant side effect. It helps our behavior evolution through substitution. Nature abhors a vacuum. So when we are idle, we are very much susceptible to become a devils workshop, because the vacuum in us is quickly occupied by one or more of the six enemies: greed, fear, anger, hate, lust, pride. That is exactly what was happening to me, when I learnt of my latest swindle at the hands of the corporate juggernaut that our apartment owners are.

I was upset, angered and helpless. And when I sat down to sulk and pamper my feeling of anger, I applied the new routine of dealing with endeavors: invite Shri Ganesha to my process and check for cool flow as I introspect. Normally I would have spent days cursing my destiny, the heartless corporate types holding us hostage and the inevitable days of mourning that destiny. Yet, just the simple act of inviting the deity of innocence to my thought process made sure the negative feeling and emotions were kept away from my introspection. I was certainly dejected, but felt in a shell of temporary remorse, rather than a prolonged self-torture by harboring hatred towards the faceless enemies.

Thank you Shri Mataji for rendering the advice so clear and practical, that a so-called formerly atheist mind like mine can not only understand, but bring into practice the true knowledge of inner peace.

Acquisition Instinct

What is the first thing that goes through my mind when I see a friend driving a new car, or a relative with a swanky new abode or a talented person? For long having seen a desire rise up to have something similar in life, something that would maybe give fulfillment, but would surely make others jealous. That is the right definition of an acquisition instinct, which is perverted by a goal which is not noble. The purpose of human made things are to give joy, at least that is how they are advertised. They don't give joy, just the occasional happiness of seeing someone else yearning for them. Thus begins the ceaseless journey of perverted acquisitions.

Communities built upon feeding such instincts are of shallow character. Spiritual systems that condone this instinct are the bane of the world and individuals who become active drivers of pandering to this instinct are surfing just the base nature of humans. The journey that takes us farther away from enlightenment.

At the subtle level, the acquisition instinct is the first reaction we have to things we perceive in other's possession. He we react to things we perceive is highly dependent on our discrimination. A Hamas chakra is balance will enjoy a perceived object irrespective of ownership. For instance, there are times when I look at my aging car and I feel the need to acquire a better one, or I look at my child and I worry about his upbringing, or I look at my apartment and the anxiety of rising rents consumes me. But when I have returned from a wholesome afternoon in the company of the meditation community, the reactions are quite different.

I would look at my possessions and feel thankful, I would look at my apartment and enjoy the nature outside, I would look at my offspring and relive my own childhood. Same perceived objects, different cognition. The Hamsa chakra, is triaging the sensori input correctly into higher thought.

The Hamsa chakra is an interesting little chakra. It is a part of the fifth energy center of the senses, the Vishuddhi Chakra. It is active when healthy, directing our sensori input from the five senses the correct subtle centers within the brain, which are connected to the subtle centers in our body. When malnourished, it is inactive and the processing of sensori input is now left to the willpower of the person, which is the balance of the left and right sides, the sympathetic channels.

Thus, when the person is well rested and at peace, the perception is processed well. But when the person is stressed out, the willpower is ebbing and the sensori inputs lead to perverted cognition. For instance, looking at something beautiful raises the instinct to acquire it, irregardless of social justice. Criminal behavior ensues and hoarding of objects results.

The hoarding that results from PAI (perverted acquisition instinct) is not just what we see on episodes of hoarders, but also in hoarding of mp3s, hoarding of ambitions, hoarding of options, hoarding of securities, hoarding of money in the bank etc.

The solution is recommended by the wise lady of the east, Her Holiness Shri Mataji, who has worked incessantly to break the chains of money-based systems on the human soul and elevate the human condition. The solution to any self destructive behavior is not in taboo or restraint. It is in finding a more powerful, fulfilling substitution. In the specific case of PAI, the recommendation is to become more involved in local flora and fauna. Replace the "cool knowledge" of where to find the best local deals and eats with the truly cooler knowledge of local trees and flowers. Spend the attention and time in knowing the living nature in the immediate surroundings and it heals our sensori processing.

So what local trees and flowers surround you?