Veda essentially means knowledge, it doesn’t denote a book. It
is the knowledge that got revealed to masters who dedicated their lives in the
quest of the same. To those dedicated masters who achieved the highest degree
of concentration, the knowledge got revealed in the form of a flash of
illumination.
Modern minds can correlate the same with Archimedes, the
great Greek philosopher/scientist who in one such flash of illumination
exclaimed “Eureka”, and went on to propound the famous Archimedes Principle
that we study in Physics.
All of us are curious about our future. Deep inside us this
curiosity takes us towards occult sciences such as Astrology. Astrology is also
known as Jyotish and it is a Vedanga. Which means it is a limb of Vedas. Is it
really possible to know the future? Do planets far away from us have a bearing
on our lives? Why should some planets be beneficial and why should some bring
in ill results?
What harm did a newly born Baby could have possibly caused
to the planets? Why is it that Babies born in the same hospital and at equal
distances from planets have different futures?
Is there a possible way to know the future or is Astrology a
mere superstition?
For now, let us presume that Jyotish is a real possibility
and there is a way to find what lies in store for us in the future. We will
explore other questions on Astrology in a separate blog since this is a huge
debate in itself. I seek you to be with me in believing that Astrology is indeed
a science and it does provide us with a ray of hope.
If this position is acceptable, then let me also add to it
that planets just do their jobs. They are governed by their duty without any
prejudices against anyone of us. Their position at the time of our birth is an
indication of a combination of our past lives actions. This is otherwise known
as “Karma”. The planets do the duty of dispelling the fruits of our past
actions. They are impartial in doing their duties. As mentioned earlier, we
will explore some other time in more detail on how to appease the planets and
how to atone the deeds of past lives.
For now, let us realize the intricacies of our Karma &
how it affects us in our day to day lives.
If you consider life to be reflection of thoughts then you
also need to analyze which type of thoughts you are getting and why is it that you
alone get such thoughts?
Thoughts are based on past actions and unfulfilled desires
which are deep rooted and often not known even to your conscious mind. These
are hidden in deeper layers of memory that we carry from one birth to another.
"Buddhi Karma anusarena”
‘Intellect or Buddhi follows Karma’.
Meaning, we get exactly the same kind of thoughts that are
in accordance to our past Karma. So where is the escape? Are we hostages to our
past or is there any freedom provided to us?
The next question that comes to us is how we can change the
pattern of thoughts, so that we come to lead a life like the one that we want
to, instead of getting trapped in the past patterns lying deep in our memory or
so to say subconscious.
Unless we answer these questions, the future is not ours.
That is we can't create our future. It will just be continuation of our present
thoughts that sprouted out of past actions.
So, how do we change the pattern of thoughts that come to
us? We often react instinctively to the circumstances. We are often speechless when
someone asks us about our likes and dislikes about certain persons or things.
Why is it that we get good vibes on meeting someone for the first time even
before we may have interacted with that person or we may instinctively dislike
a person? A psychologist tends to point fingers towards the subconscious mind.
I would want to introduce to you the concept of memory. We
carry a record of each of our interaction, feeling, emotion, perception etc,
through memory. We record even though we may not be conscious. Hypnotists
unlock the same memory. I would go one step further and say that this memory
keeps a record of all our past lives.
You may want to study a book by a famous Psychologist
Dr.Brain Weiss “Many Masters Many Lives”. In this book, he records his sessions
with his patients whom he takes into past using hypnotism and accidentally
uncovers past life regression.
Let us come back to our subject on taking control over our
thoughts.
Let us analyze what actually happens when we come in contact
with a person or object in the external world. When our senses of sight, touch,
smell, hearing, taste come in contact with the external world, a stimulus
reaches to our localized version of mind. The mind immediately responds to this
external stimulus by checking the records in our memory to see if there is any
past record for this stimulus. Almost 99.99% times the mind finds a record and
responds to the stimulus basis its past association. This way, the thought
patterns are almost always the same and in accordance to the past association.
All the processes mentioned above happen in a minuscule fraction of a second
without the realization of our conscious mind even.
The above process in itself can be a part of a separate
discussion and lead us to fundamentals of meditation and how to meditate. For
now, I confine myself to the present topic.
"What you are
getting in your life is pre-decided". However, what you are doing with
what you are getting is within your control. This decides what you are going to
get in future. Astrology gives us a glimpse about what we have been getting as
well as what we are going to get. Planets show the same.
Unless we take a conscious decision and think deeper and get
the correct guidance, what happens is that "what you are doing with what
you are getting" also will fall in the same old thought pattern and we
remain a slave of our past.
This happens to 97% of people and once this happens, there is
no conscious effort. The first statement "what you are getting in your
life is pre-decided" becomes true.
So the choice is ours; whether we want to be trapped like
97% of people and remain a slave of our past or want to be among 3% of people
who consciously create their future.
How can we control thoughts? The moment we want to control a
thought at that same moment we are creating another thought that I should
control my thoughts. So, is the key in controlling thoughts or modifying the
thoughts?
Is there an escape to us?
"Asamsahyam maha baho mano durnigraham chalam,
abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyencha guhyate” is what Krishna told Arjuna when a
great yogi like Arjuna asked Krishna about how to control mind. Now Arjuna was
no lesser yogi himself; he possessed the knowledge of all the divine weapons
and he pleased even lord Shiva.
If someone as accomplished as Arjuna couldn't control his
mind, mere mortals like us need to think twice before even attempt. Controlling
mind the hasn't got to do with concentration since Arjuna possessed such a high
degree of concentration that his arrow would never miss its mark.
So, to translate what Krishna told Arjuna, the one I put in
Sanskrit, "There is no doubt Arjuna; mind is very fickle, it can't be
controlled as such. However, through continuous and repetitive self effort and
through non attachment to present circumstances, the same mind can be tamed”.
So, the key to be in 3% of people is not to get bogged down
by the circumstances around us. We need to detach ourselves from the circumstances.
Circumstances are all in our mind. In the outer world there are only people and
things. Our thoughts, presumptions, judgments, perceptions about the external
people and things are what create circumstances in the first place. The moment
we make a conscious self effort to detach from our circumstances and thought
pattern and create a new habit or thought pattern and keep doing the same
thought pattern through the application of this new habit; we create a new
world for ourselves. You are a wonderful creator made with the same substance
that Almighty is made up of, since Almighty is omnipresent and all pervading.
You are the reflection of the same consciousness. ‘God created us in the same
mould that he is made up of’.
Awake and take control of your life without getting bogged
down by the so called circumstances which are nothing but your own mental
creations. Detach yourself (Vairagya) from the circumstances bogging you down. Create
new thought patterns through a conscious self effort and make it a habit (Abhayasa).
“Abhayasa Vairagyabhayam tannirodaha” is what the great Sage
Patanjali propounds. Using these tools, try to find a new center for our
activity that breaks the chains of our past. Irrespective of the people and
things around us, we can change ourselves the moment we take a step back in reacting
to the stimulus that comes within us from external world and chose to act in a
certain way. We can surround ourselves with positive thoughts and can exhort
ourselves in developing good habits. Nature gives us this freedom since it
always accentuates our progress. We can learn lessons out of our past actions
and fruits we got out of the same in the same birth. We can develop faith and
involve in holistic spiritual practices and studies.
“Tapah, Swadhyayah & Eswara Pranidhanani eti kriya
yogaha”. Tapas is fiery determination (there are 3 types of Tapas: (1) Done
through physical body, one can indulge in acts of selfless service (2) Done
through mind, through constant maintenance of pure and higher thoughts forms
(3) Done through speech, kindness shown through words when we speak to others.
Swadhaya means reading scriptures which in turn uplift our thoughts through a
story and its characters or through providing info on how to lead life.
Following which, we can create new thought patterns or ape what has been
successfully followed by our forefathers in the past. Eswara Pranidhanani is a
huge subject in itself; however, in our context, let us say it means surrendering
ourselves at the mercy of the Almighty. This helps in keeping a check of our
egoistic thought forms and actions and ultimately, toward equanimity of seeing
the same lord in all beings.
Abhyasa (continuous effort till it becomes a habit) of the
above and detachment from the so called circumstances leads us towards a new
center and new thought forms and breaks our past patterns.
This is the ‘purushartha’
that Sage Vasistha refers to in Yoga Vasistyam, where he expounds the truths to
none other than Rama on Karma & Purushartha (self-effort)
Don't be a slave of your past. Be a master of your future.
