February 2012 – INNER THOUGHTS

Essentials of Self Realization

Firstly, the worldly obligations, secondly mental obligation and thirdly atama dharma are important for our life. How can we keep a balance in these is a must for all of us.

Firstly, we have to honestly and sincerely perform our day to day functions. In worldly obligation our responsibility towards our family by providing them material things for their day-to-day living, giving our off-springs the righty type of education so that they be a better members of the society, provide for their upbringing, decent living and teach civic sense to your children.

Secondly, mental obligation or mano dharma is to cultivate and adopt those practices which result in positive attitudinal changes through systematic cleansing of negative thought process. How and why we should maintain equanimity and remain peaceful under all circumstances is also an aim of this obligation.

Thirdly, it is important that we concentrate to evolve our mind to withdraw from its scattered thought processes. Focused mind on a source brings high dividends. Concerted effort should be made that our mind is attuned to internal self. Momentary internal peeping or accidental focus will not impact us. A holistic approach in transformation of ourselves is a must for acquiring mastery in travelling in inner recesses of our inner self. For this to happen, we have to give less credence to thoughts or actions which has got transient value. All thinking which greases our ego are barriers in the attainment our goal. A genuine discrimination should develop in us to distinguish between temporary pleasures and values held dear for enhancing our inner enquiry.

In our life we face many difficulties, there is death, disease, greed, envy, deceit, etc. You name it, and it is there. Our desires are insatiable. If we acquire one thing, we would like to have more of desires fulfilled. And the means by which we get those desires fulfilled gets mixed. We are not able to differentiate between legitimate ways or otherwise for realizing these. In this way, we are entrapped in the vicious phase of pleasure and pain.

We are not able to differentiate between what is actually required by us and what we want in actual practice. We forget about what is permanent and what is temporary for us. We are enamored by external empirical reality and take satisfaction of our wants as the only reality. We are having infinite desires. One desire gives birth another one and a flood starts thereafter. We hanker after the mirage of a bit more and it goes on and on. We aspire for more fame and develop a ‘mind-reality’ in the process.

This never ending satiety makes us restless. It should never be forgotten that identity is not static. It is ever changing. We should ever try to focus on inner satisfaction rather than outer satisfaction. Our mind has to be bridled. In the midst of our pre-occupation any thought can invade and take us away from innrt quest. Our self-enquiry should be based on the ideas and ideals which enhances our knowledge matrix. What is temporary and what is permanent should be clearly demarked. By following this, we can reach to our coveted path of self realization.

Is not it a fact that we are responsible for creating emergencies for ourselves?

It is not somebody who is responsible when there is a question of sticking within timeframe for meeting some important official deadline / commitment, embarking your journey, meeting somebody for transacting some important business. It is also self-evident that we intentionally postpone a thing giving one excuse or the other. We are expert at giving excuses for not doing a job at hand. But ultimately, we experience that those deadlines are difficult to meet because of paucity of time at our disposal. Then we lament, I would have started at the right time to meet the deadline. But when it is too late, you cannot do anything about that.

Be that as it may, it should be borne in mind that whatever we want to do never adopt casual attitude to put the same into action. We should apportion time and energy required to meet commitment at hand and should be on time / before time to execute that commitment. Be serious otherwise you will have to repent. But more often than not we do not give much importance to delay which is caused due to our casual attitude. And that ‘casual attitude’ may cost us dearly. You may miss a plane journey and consequently may lose a project of your lifetime or other golden opportunity which would have opened new vistas in your life. We should rather be very methodical in choosing our goals and put emphasis on the small details lest nothing is left to chance and may meet with failure.

There is not much difference between success and failure. The ‘difference’ lies in how and why. And never neglect time factor. It never waits for anybody howsoever great that person may be.