In the sanctuary of silence

There are many people that find it difficult to sit in silence for any length of time.

What is this restlessness?

Is it our attachment to stimuli of the external world? A world propelled by contiguous movement and change.

When we consider the speed of information delivery, we will realize that if we focus our attention and energy on the external world only, we will inevitably invite suffering into our lives.

Yet in our innermost being rains silence. It is only at the surface that activity occurs. So when our focus is primarily externalized, we play on the surface wave of life with its inevitable ups and downs.

Many people tell me that they keep busy to drown out there troubles. Are they neurotically driven by fear, fear of growing older, fear of death, yes fear of life itself?

What is the answer?

The answer lies in awakening to our true nature. The Bible urges us to “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What is the kingdom of heaven? Is it something outside of us, or is it our own higher consciousness?

How do we get there?

The Gita tells us, “When our vision is in the spiritual eye, we behold the true nature of our soul. When we have direct perception of the soul, we know that we are above death, change and annihilation.”

When we see this indestructible beam of our spirit as the cause of all forms of life, we no longer embrace death of the physical body as an end of our existence.

We have to overcome the paradox of delusion and see man for what he is:”A mixture of changeless soul and changeable body”.

The soul is a reflection of spirit. It is immortal; the body is the encasement through which the soul functions.

When we are body bound, we lack the divine assurance of the continuity of life.

How does Spirit differentiate the way it manifests in creation?

a)     As the invisible soul and its power of life, mind and wisdom and

b)    As the visible form of body and matter.

By the use of fine vibrations the spirit creates the soul, intellect, mind and life.

By the use of grosser vibration, the Spirit creates body, kinetic energy and atomic matter, earth, water, fire air and ether.

What is the nature of the soul?

The soul being the individualized reflection of Spirit is made of Joy, the immortal, the omniscient, ever new Bliss of Spirit. It cannot be disturbed by gross vibrations of the solids, liquids, air or energy. It rests in its purity. This is why we say that in our innermost being we are pure.

How does the awakening soul become aware of its oneness with Spirit?

It becomes aware when through meditation where we change from physical consciousness to divine spiritual consciousness; It is here where we will behold all solids, all energy as a play of cosmic forces,  as a dream image that flows from the mind of the Cosmic dreamer.

In deep meditation we experience the physical light and sound, the bliss of AUM.

We must meditate deeper until we attain communion – oneness with God.

During meditation we must not only think that we are formless but realize that we are so.

The practitioner of yoga should steadily contemplate the Supreme Reality in solitude with mind and body controlled, having no craving for anything. He should utilize a clean, suitable place, be established in a firm comfortable meditation posture, intent on practice with thoughts and senses subdued. Let the devotee practice meditation to purify the mind, with body, head and neck erect, motionless, established in self control, Concentrated on the Supreme Reality, one should sit devoted to the highest Realization.  Bhagavad Gita (6:10-14)

We cannot know God through the intellect, we can only know about God Intellectuals and Theologians may be well read in matters of soul, yet they may know little about it. On the other hand an illiterate in deep meditation will be able to clearly the nature of the soul.

How can we know God - How can we bridge the gap from intellect to Self Realization?

Know that God, the soul and Spirit and all inner truth can be known only by the power of intuition through regular meditation. Intellect and sense perceptions can only perceive phenomena. Intuition alone can perceive essence.

In the life of every person two forces of knowledge are operative from birth:

a)     The power of human reason and

b)    The power of intuition.

Everyone has the lower forms of intuition, the inexplicable experiences of knowing. These are hunches, gut feelings and premonitions etc.

The power of knowing has its abilities from intuition. The highest form of intuition is “That by which the soul knows itself”. It is here where knower, known and knowing exist simultaneously as one.

When intuition comes in touch with matter, it passes through stages of evolution or Koshas.

a)     Annamaya Kosha – the consciousness of existence in matter. This is the lowest form and tells me that “I exist with a body and a mind”.

Here one is limited to sense or inferential knowledge.

Pranamaya Kosha. This is of pranic energy, the vital or life current that comes through every cell of the body. It is the plane of life force that creates and sustains the body. Here we hear subtle sounds, perceive subtle lights and feel subtle sensations. These are not outward sensations and have nothing to do with the physical sense organs. One can feel this pranic in every part of the body.

Manomaya Kosha or the mind plan, this plane leads us to direct knowledge of manas or mind, its effects and its combinations with other principles of perception and cognition. Here our perception is no longer on the matter plane. In this form of intuition we are no longer conscious of the outside world. We are more astral involved, spiritually we are God attuned.

Jnanamaya kosha or intellect plane this is the direct operation of the Bhuddi or discriminative intellect. Here we no longer experience the mind race of prana, or the confinement of the body. Here we may question whether this is our true Self. Here we perceive truth manifesting as wisdom.

Anandamaya Kosha, here one is full of Joy no matter what the circumstances. Intuition is in direct experience of Bliss. At its purest, knowing the soul by the soul, seeing the soul with the eyes of the soul. Knowing, knower and known are one. One is truly conscious of the Self.

    

These are the ways of wonder of the soul, which can only be known through inner silence.

Let us be resolved to meditate deeper and deeper and thus experience the reality of God.

“Be still and know that I am God”. Psalm 46:10

Affirmation

I know that deep within me, behind the screen of mind and senses, silence prevails.

Here I reside in peace.

Here flawless knowledge of God and of life’s processes is innate to me.

Every day in the profound joy of meditative contemplation, I rest in silence and wholeness.

Om, Shanti, Om …