Understanding Feelings

A question that often arises in spiritual discussions is what role do feelings play in relation to our soul?

If at this moment we could be completely calm in body, thoughts and our emotions. We could be instantly aware of the Self, the soul embraced with the joy of God. The soul would be established in its own state.

The joy of God is there always, yet we cannot feel it. The reason is that we do not feel His bliss is because we are intoxicated with ego, mind and feelings.

Our real nature is calmness, but we have put on a mask of restlessness. The agitated state of our consciousness is the result of the stimuli of feelings, yet we are not the mask, we are pure, calm Spirit. It is important that we remember who we are: the soul, a reflection of Spirit.

When we are angry and agitated, we identify with our feelings; this tells us that it is not good for us to remain in that frame of mind subject to at times excessive swings in emotions. We need to realize, that feelings represent a flow of energy that dissipates as long as we don’t get attached to them.

When we imprison ourselves in various moods; we cause our suffering and the suffering of those around us. To escape this suffering, we need to dissolve the feelings and emotions connected with the body consciousness. We can do this through meditation as we then transcend body, mind and emotions.

How feelings and emotions obscure the soul.

As long as we think of ourselves as having certain qualities, with their characteristics of feelings and emotions, we are masquerading as those passions, says Patanjali, because we have done it for a long time we have forgotten our true nature.

Once we realize that every day we are only impersonating different characteristics according to our changing feelings, we are able to cast off this false image and abide in our true nature.

Indulgence enslaves the soul.

Perfect control or discipline over our senses places the Self in control.

In Western society, it has become normal to take pills to mask our feelings. There are multiple pills for depression. ADHA, anger, stress, anxiety, pain and the list is endless.

Feeling any of these emotions gives us a reason to make a trip to the doctor or psychologist who will “fix them”. However feelings make us to who we are. It is feelings that help us to develop our full potential, if we deal with them correctly. We do experience them for a reason.

In the short term the use of medication may be warranted, but taking medication for extended periods of time and becoming to rely on them to mask our feelings, can place us in danger of not knowing who and what we are. Ironically, so many of the pills used to mask uncomfortable emotions simultaneously mask the feelings we cherish, like joy, compassion and love.

So rather than masking our feeling with medication, we need to start by not catering to our likes and dislikes. We should give the same advice to our children. We spoil them when we ask them:” what would you like to eat? Or you don’t have to eat it, if you don’t like it. By such indulgence we make our children slaves of feelings.

Patanjali says that when we have mastery over our likes and dislikes, we abide in our true state (Sutra 3, then the observer sees the state of its own nature).

The true state of the Self, the soul, is bliss, wisdom, love, peace. To be happy is to be even minded under all and any circumstances.