Spiritual Practice for Self-realization

I am presently attending an online program of 40 days entitled Atma Chalisa Parayanam, conducted by Shri Vikas Varma. It is a spiritual practice for self-realization - a way of knowing ourselves and our life in a much better manner. Presently it is half way through and we, the program participants, are required to share our experiences in the group. 

The learning process of this program involves three basic steps - Sravana, Manana and Nididhyāsana. Sravana is listening to what the teacher says very carefully. Manana is reflecting on what we heard in the class by trying to understand not only the superficial meaning but also the deeper meaning by reading in between the lines. Nididhyāsana is an extensive understanding of what we heard and reflected, probably by applying them in our life to reinforce the ideas and concepts and digesting them thoroughly. The final phase of this spiritual education, namely Sakshatkara (experiencing or realization) is when the contemplated ideas are actualized to come face to face with Reality. Atma Sakshatkara is direct perception of Atman, or the inner self.

Manana (Thinking)

In my case, the Manana mostly takes place during my morning walk and later during the yoga session. This is the time I try to reflect uninterruptedly on what has been heard in the class (Sravana) and ruminate over them to gain a deeper understanding.

So yesterday I was reflecting on the statement 'I am not the body, I am not the mind' that was discussed elaborately in the class. Which made me wonder what is this 'body' and what is this 'mind'? We know that they are vehicles that help us to effectively move around, communicate, and get things done in our daily life. But from a different perspective, my body is the product of food I had gathered over the past so many years. Similarly, my mind is the accumulation of experiences I had gathered during the same period. In that sense I can say that this is 'my' body and this is 'my' mind. Then the question arises: who is this 'me' who owns this body and the mind? Naturally it is a separate entity different from my body and my mind. 

Now, during today's morning stroll, I see my friend, whom I regularly see at this time, walking towards me. So, I thought let me consider 'him', rather than 'myself', as the subject of my thought. This means that 'he' is not the body and 'he' is not the mind. And therefore, there is something additional in him that carries his body as well as the mind that is coming towards me. 

That extra something in him and the something in me are devoid of the physical body and the intangible mind. Therefore, that something must be an abstract entity at the core of ourselves. And this entity carries no opinions or judgements about the other person since the mind is separate from that entity. Whatever the person does with his body and mind does not affect me in any way, since I see something in him that transcends his physical and mental form.

This fundamental and abstract entity or essence present in the other person, as well as me, is some energy particle around which the material body and the immaterial mind have taken shape. 

The ancient sages of India term this entity as the spiritual energy, or the soul or Atman present in each of us. This intrinsic constituent present in us throughout our life defines who we are, what we are, and what we may yet be. This divine energy present in each of us existed before our birth and will exist even after our death. It is immortal. The sages refer to this divinity present in each of us individuals as Atman. This divine energy is also present throughout the universe and this is termed as the Brahman.

Nididhyāsana (Contemplation)

After Sravana and Manana comes Nididhyāsana - the process of contemplation and putting the new concept into testing!

During today's morning walk, whenever I saw someone, I tried my best to see first the divinity in that person, rather than his body or the mind, whoever the person was - whether it was the softspoken lean man with a smile and a nod, or the overweight person with a rotund figure and an aggressive walk, or the two women with pleasant faces chatting continuously. For this purpose, I gazed at their third eye, focusing attention on the energy point located at the center of their eyebrows, to see that bright, shimmering, glitter. 

This simple shift of focus from 'me' to others has brought in a profound change in my attitude towards everyone. I no longer make a judgement about a person from the first impression of how they look (body), or how they speak (mind). This transforms our very nature, results in acceptance of life’s conditions in a wholesome manner, deepens our understandings of life, brings in peace and contentment, and the view that everything in life is just as it should be. 

This profound and powerful idea from India's ancient sages that divinity is present in every person, which can be experienced by everyone, right now, is quite different from the concept of religions that God is up in heaven and can only be experienced in 'life after death'. That is, it tells us that we should fully enjoy the current life given to us, instead of waiting for life after death and to be in heaven.

Conclusion

Overall, this program has given a fillip to all my day-to-day activities that involve some volunteering work in the running of the Owners Association of the Apartment, where I live in Bangalore.