Many people identify themselves to a large part with activities
they perform in their lives.
Others identify themselves with the specific role they play at the
moment.
I’m a teacher, a father, a mother, I am Canadian etc.
They also think they are the architect of their future, not
knowing, that in fact there activities are instigated by the attributes of
their very nature.
We don’t like to admit, that we are not in control.
Paramahansa Yogananda:
“Primordial Prakriti is the cause of man’s individualized
existence, and governs by the operation of cosmic laws his ability to act in
and respond to his material environment”.
God created nature. It manifests the attributes of the Creator, but
under a camouflage of delusion.
What does this mean?
Mankind is the product of an invisible God and visible nature;
he is dual.
Pure spirit hidden in a physical body and brain whose functions
are governed by the attributes of nature, the gunas, (the three modes of prakriti – sattva, rajas
and tamas whose activating power works on the 24 creative principles of
nature).
In previous sessions mention was made, that by now we are above
the influence of nature, but are we?
The four kingdoms of creation – man, animal, plants, and the
inorganic substances – possess fixed and characteristic actions and reactions
that differentiate them.
All are guided by the gunas (attributes of nature).
Humankind dwells on the apparent differences of himself and the
rest of creation.
He is generally ignorant of the truth that his activities and that
of all other manifestations spring from a common source, Spirit.
We must be clear in this, that the individualized residing in
every form and working through nature’s attributes, is the doer of things.
A Yogi, by disengaging his mind from the senses (though Kriya, or
any other form), and who identifies himself with the soul, rather than the ego
(as the doer) knows that the soul not the ego is the conscious life in the body
that activates and sustains the creative attributes.
An intrinsic quality of the soul is free will.
The fully illumined yogi is a person of free will.
The ordinary individual is bound to his/her intrinsic or
unthinking material habits born out of nature.
The higher an individual rises on the scale of evolution, the more
one exercises one’s free will.
An awakened person realizes that all his human qualities are
created by God.
Initiated in his individualized body by his soul and governed by
the confining attributes of nature; he therefore refuses to let his body
identified ego credit itself to be the doer of actions.
Humankind however, by the exercise of its free will, wrongly or
rightly creates specific personal karma.
By one’s good karma (in accord with his nature that is natural
living), and meditation on the perfect God, one ascends toward perfection.
In contrast by wrong action, the body identified egoist, devoid
of true wisdom, descends and becomes trapped in the meshes of material desires.
Each devotee should analyze him/herself, to find out whether he/she
is living according to the upward evolutional influence of nature, or, by the
even higher soul impulses; or, only by his/her human nature, distorted by
prenatal and postnatal effects of actions that manifest through moods, habits
and ordinary inclinations in life.
Soul, mind, body, brain, senses, the world, the cosmos – all are
creation of Spirit.
Therefore, the wise person does not conceive him/herself as
the architect of anything, not even his/her own destiny.
He/she does not laugh or cry or are disturb with themselves with
the ups and downs of duality, whereas, the egoist is never satisfied, whether
he/she is rich or poor.
The wise person performs
action to please God, known to him as the sole Creator and Genesis of all
activities, and tunes in with the wishes of God, who guides him to his proper
activities.
He does not try to frustrate the divine plan by selfish will, nor
impede its fulfillment by non action.
The true devotee says:” Lord steer my boat of activity and
meditation to the shore of Thy presence.”
The Lord does not ask humankind to be without divine ambition,
divine desires, or divine activities that lead to liberation, but rather to
stop working under the influence of the manipulative ego, which casts the soul
into delusion.
In order for us to be Self
Realized, we must endeavor at all times to live a soul centered life. At times
we must take stock of our attitudes and behaviors to see whether they are in
deed in line with the teachings of the masters. Above all we must be clear of
who we really are and live from that perspective.
I am certain, that we all can make improvements in our lives and
by doing so, have an effect on those around us.
We all can be more generous, more kind to those in distress, more
loving, be a better husband, wife, companion, friend, father, mother, neighbor.
We must rise to the divinity within us and giving it expression in
our daily lives.
Knowing, that we are children of the one God, we can bring that
message to the forth and let it shine through all that we do.
The Lord created the Universe for Himself. As his children, his
true reflection, we share it with Him and serve Him with our love.
Glory be to God.
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