Tagged: repetition
The journey into insight: Experience beyond theoretical “Knowledge.”
In the “office world” to reinvent the wheel is inefficient effort.
In Life, to reinvent the wheel is necessary to grow.
From the last article, we could observe the duality of the “believer” and the “non-believer.” Both are experiencing their childhood state of consciousness.
How do you know if you are no longer there?
When you are not conscious of that duality, of course.
For the most part, our “journey” will take us to both sides equally and with the same intensity, that is we could be a believer or non-believer turned into its opposite.
That “journey” will take us to the full range of experiences and will give us naturally, a deep insight away from the simplistic labeling of something as “good” or “bad.”
That labeling is a child-like consciousness.
Ingrained in that childhood state, it is the belief that we could “become better” by following some thought out method, by practicing certain actions considered to be “good.”
For example:
“Practice compassion if you want to be compassionate.”
“You should choose what you want to create and then, take the steps towards that direction to “achieve” it.”
Sounds good? Respectable? Reasonable?
Perhaps, but let me assure something. Unless you are “compassionate” already, there is no way to “practice” compassion. If you practice something that you call or think as compassion, that is not compassion but just a thought, a belief, a mask that we wear for a determined occasion.
You see, Life will present different scenes, which will shatter all of our “thought out” ideas about compassion.
BEING compassion will result in acting compassionate.
The practice of something, which we are not; will merely change our behavior and that behavior will reverse as soon as the practice is stopped. Consciousness will remain the same.
That is the issue that all religions cannot resolve. They are about “practice.”
“Practice” will solidify DOING. Repetition will create a habit, but none of that is related with change of consciousness.
If you are a seeker, please consider the above; for it may be helpful.
Internally, we believe that “spirituality” is another subject, another discipline to “practice.”
Most seekers do not realize that “spirituality” cannot be separated from living Life itself.
It is that same frame of mind, the one looking for a method to obtain “compassion” after putting the “effort to achieve it.”
It is that same frame of mind, the one which will inculcate “steps” to reach the goal.
Please see that all of those “steps” are only made to hide who you really ARE.
BEING is a process. Every Human being is in a different location in that process.
BEING changes by living Life, in the assimilation of experiences.
Did you realize that you don’t have compassion in your heart and now, you want to change that?
Become aware of those traits that are in what you call “you.” Life will bring the right scenarios for that to change into greater openness, that is compassion.
Life for you, is a different experience than Life for me. Therefore, how is it possible to generalize a method, to reach a collective ideal?
Did you hear about Mother Theresa?
Do you believe that she was compassionate?
Want to be like her?
Then, imitation is all you will have. Imitation is not BEING compassionate but just to copy someone’s demeanor, activity, behavior.
The “I” cannot change anything about itself. The “I” can only change behavior, externalities but never the core, the heart.
The “I” is a separation from Life, an entity living his own world in self-absorption.
That “I” is the one who needs a God to “change.”
That “I” is the one who needs to “practice” things to make himself believe that is becoming “better” now.
That “I” is the one in need of Paradise as a reward for postponing the “practice” of his “real” nature now.
That “I” is the one selecting pain and suffering and denying pleasure as a way to “purify” himself.
That “I” is the one making up beliefs, dogmas when there is the experience of Life and our ability to enjoy that experience.
BEING in AWARENESS of continuous change will take away the static beliefs and dogmatic truths that will not allow us to flow with the wind of destiny.
That freedom to BE implies a journey to unmask the “I.”
The “I” is not “bad” nor “good.”
The “I” is part of our own growth in the journey, from “self” into “no-self,” from “form” into “no-form,” from “being” into “non-being.” 🙂
Don’t follow me, for “I” will not take you there
Our consciousness is our reality. To change that “reality” we may need to go through the full range of experiences deemed for that consciousness through the assimilation of those experiences. Those are perceived as Life “ups and downs.”
In religious talk and philosophical musings, “I” can change my consciousness at any time.
That is short of nonsense.
However, that nonsense has been going on for a long time now, with the outcome of people living in greater fear, repression and anxiety due to their desire to reach or obtain a particular state of consciousness by “doing” things.
It is about time to finish that childish idea that by “doing” certain actions someone could enjoy a different consciousness.
It is not like that, because “doing” cannot change “being.”
I can do something 1000 times per day to get rid of for example, laziness. My continuous activity will cover my laziness and as long as I keep doing my action 1000 times per day, I will not “see” my laziness, even though it will be there. Stop the action and laziness will surface again.
It is just a cover up.
“Doing” reinforces a previous realization. This is not an intellectual work. It is a realization that comes from the heart.
That is why reading “spiritual stuff” does not do any change in the self until we see our reflection on that reading material and the heart feels the need to change without looking at the “pros” or “cons” of the resolution.
Do you want to wake up at 3 AM to pray every morning?
Great! That is a good time for that. However, your consciousness will not change a bit due to that practice, of that “doing.”
That is my point.
“What do you mean by consciousness?”
The ability to observe “reality” from a particular perspective. Our collective consciousness is lost in duality and the material perception of the world through physical senses. That is one type of consciousness. Neither “good nor bad.”
There is a story about the death of the Buddha, which I heard at one time in a gathering, don’t know if it is true, but it illustrates what I am trying to convey.
The Buddha ate some food that had poison in it. The Buddha knew about that poison and he took it anyway and as a consequence he died.
For some, The Buddha committed suicide.
Suicide= “bad” = “sinful.”
For others, the Buddha didn’t want to offend the host by rejecting the meal.
Not rejecting= “good.” Suffering to please others = “good.”
The above are different types of perceptions, or consciousness in the “good or bad” realm.
Few understood that for the Buddha there is no difference between Life and Death for his consciousness is beyond that duality, so he ate the food for the enjoyment of it.
What is the teaching?
Perhaps to demonstrate that committing suicide is not “bad” when you are in a different consciousness.
The Buddha lived in the “now.” He ate the meal to enjoy the taste of that food while living in “the now” in the gracious company of his host.
For the religious minded individual looking to imitate the Buddha, that will mean to immolate himself out of some excuse because he may think that his “action” will be as elevated as the Buddha’s.
That is not so. That follower will be stupid and pay the price of his self-dishonesty.
His “action” is meaningless when his consciousness does not match it.
Do we think that the Buddha was thinking thoroughly about what to do next while receiving poison?
Not a bit. He just did what was “natural” for him, according to his consciousness.
“But… if he was a person protected by God, he should have survived through a miracle!”
The “miracle” is that there is no death, but for most of us this is just “theory” and fear is our consciousness.
The world of rationality and the intellect is too much about theory, analysis and flowery talk but nothing of utility in changing consciousness.
To try to understand intellectually a consciousness, which we do not currently enjoy, only leads to misunderstanding and blind following of followers through a dogmatic vision of Life. That has been the destiny of every single organized religion through time.
The singular consciousness enjoyed by the “founder” of every religion has been misunderstood/ re-interpreted by followers without exception.
How do I know that?
It is a matter of consciousness. 🙂
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A fragmented personality
Ananda sat by the Bay. He was looking at the Ocean and the Sunrise, Ananda was immersed in “being” that.
All of the sudden he was surprised by the appearance of “something” swimming underneath his feet.
For 2 seconds that something was “newness,” until Ananda recognized that familiar figure to be a dolphin.
Ananda was able to catch the way his mind worked: “Ahh! Nothing new, just a dolphin…” At that moment the newness of the moment vanished.
The above is the description of how we bring our past to meet the present. Nothing wrong with that for we need that information sometimes. The issue is when we rely on that for everything.
For example if we meet an “old” friend who we have not seen for months; memory is necessary to recognize that person. However, it will be an erroneous assumption to believe that this person is the same one that we met back then. There is change in both sides. All that is bringing us together are “dead” memories.
Nevertheless, there is “recognition” beyond memory. That is when we meet someone who we know, we have met “before.”
That knowing is beyond memory. That knowing allow us to acknowledge the present despite the feeling of “this is not the first time.”
That knowing is not truly about a “before,” but it is about a “new” story now. To be continued … 🙂
Sometimes that memory could be the source of addictions.
For example some experience may bring something pleasurable. The mind wants to repeat that experience.
In that repetition there will be comparison. When we compare we are not acting “freely” in the “now” but we are setting “standards.”
A second time repeat of something could be “better” than, “worse” than or “the same as.”
It is in that comparison where we do not allow “what is” to be. Therefore, any action through comparison is never complete, never total.
When something is not complete, there is a space, which will prompt us to “want more,” to “repeat the same.”
This is the trap of the mind. When we eat something that we like, that pleasure of taste will tempt us to eat more, even though satisfied. Why is that? Our mind wants to repeat that experience even though physically there is no sense of hunger anymore.
When eating has totality, that enjoyment of eating goes along with feeling physically satisfied. We are a complete unit not 2 different things: The mind wanting something while the body does not.
This “normal” phenomenon is known as “being fragmented.” A fragmented person has no experience of totality, completeness, and wholesomeness in his life. There is always something missing, something around the corner to pursue, something promising fulfillment…
Ananda walked down the side walk to return home. On his way he saw a dolphin swimming by him again; looking at him, they met with the eyes. Ananda felt with his heart the appreciation of that encounter, that experience of being “there,” and only “being.” That was a complete , unique moment which did not need any further repetition.
Detachment and Repetition: Keys for self-transformation.
When we become aware that we need to change, we understand intellectually the reasons why we need to change, however, many times we find ourselves repeating the same mistakes over and over.
This will create a sense of guilt and anger for, we are able to understand but we cannot make that change internally.
Then we blame the sanskara, the situation, our fortune, etc.
What happens?
As psychologists can tell us, we have a conscious mind and a subconscious mind. When we repress certain habits through just intellectual understanding, these habits may not be observed in our conscious behavior until something “changes our stage.” It could be a situation which made us “angry” when we “shouldn’t,” and then; we may get discouraged with our “effort making “ life. We will blame ourselves and promise ourselves that this will be the “last time.”
Let us talk about dreams. They will be there and those repressed activities will be so “real,” that we think are real until we “wake up.” That is the unconscious.
“Effort making” to change a habit then, will be fruitful when the unconscious is changed as well so it will be in harmony with the conscious. The same thing. To be conscious takes “effort,” but if we change the “unconscious” then things will be “effortless.”
That is why, “repetition” of something is heavily stressed in BK life. Amrit vela every day, Murli class every day, to do the drill 108 times, to stop for traffic control every hour; etc, etc. In that repetition, is how “unconsciously” we will repeat what we have practiced. That creates a strong habit.
However, this “magic” of transformation will not take place quickly unless 2 elements are included:
1) A sense of love towards those practices. If we do the drills or Amrit Vela without love for that practice as when looking forward to it; changes will not be quickly. It will take a long time. That is why, BapDada teaches with love. Otherwise, is monotonous. Tedious.
Even repeating the name of “God” with love is a technique used by many religions so, that love sooner or later will change the individual into a sweet person, who all of the sudden will see everything with that sweetness, with that love; that is “he will see God everywhere.” Notice, that the practice brings love in ourselves and that love will transform us when “practiced.”
2) Desire to transform by having no other desires: As long as there are desires in our minds, we will suffer. As long as there are desires, we will repeat the same patterns , our old habits and we will rationalize those patterns.
This is why, becoming detached from the happenings of life is a healthy way to understand the motive behind desires. That detachment does not mean not to enjoy life and everything that happens in it, but rather not being dependent on something in particular.
I may live alone. I am fine. I may live with company, I am fine as well. There is no rejection. No “control,” but just acceptance of things are they come. That is detachment.
In that detachment, there are no desires, but all desires are already fulfilled.
Note that love is born in that space of lack of desires, in that emptiness of mind, in that peace.
When we find peace, we find love.
Question: Dear brother, Everything repeats exactly as it is every 5000 years, this includes, thoughts, words, actions, emotions, consciousness…etc.., it seems as we have the freedom to choose the way we want, what to think, how to feel, but then these are the act of the role that has already happened meaning if I choose to think this way or feel this way, then it ends up this is how I did 5000 years ago so… I can never do anything different that has happened 5000 years ago from today, at this moment, at this second…. yet It is not wise to say, I will let sit and do nothing, no effort as if it happened 5000 years ago , it will happen again, if I do that then it becomes as said 5000 years ago… it is as if we are on a constantly running steps … if you are still standing , watching the scenes pass by you are safe, but if you try to jump out of the running steps , you will be thrown out…. Or even if you do jump out of it ..you will fall on another running steps… as it needs to flow not stop for as we are all eternal and every second is new but temporary every 5000 years… your thoughts?
Thank you for your question and realization!
Dear soul,
The interesting thing about this Drama is that we never knew any of this until now. Do you know why?
(besides the popular “because it is fixed that way”) 🙂 Simply because we need to know that information now to understand Ego. To become ego-less again.
In the Golden and Silver ages, we wouldn’t be able to feel as “I am a puppet of the Drama,” for “I” as a “doer” wasn’t heard of. The consciousness there did not understand about an entity “doing things the way that entity wants.” That entity is “I.” The popular words “I do as I want,” wouldn’t be understood in Non-duality. You wouldn’t hear Narayan saying: “I do as I want because I am the King here, and you are just a simple subject.” Those words are not understood there.
Now, we need that information for otherwise, to “understand” ego will be very, very difficult.
We wouldn’t be able to understand that we do not do anything, but there is a Drama which is the conjunction of all roles playing at the same time. Those roles play in synchronicity. Everything works well as it is, until we start “thinking about it,” and figuring things out considering about how “I” fits into this. What is “my piece in this pie”? What do “I” bring into this? How can “I” become better? How can “I” leave a “trademark” in life so others know about “me” and remember “me”? How can “I get” the best in the after life, so “I” continue having “the best”? Ego wants to exist.
Those thoughts, dear soul; are just illusion. Self made lies, which the “I” does not feel comfortable when knowing that after all, it is not “I” changing the world, but the world changes itself, through the roles running through us, souls; when in the experience of being in a body… 🙂
Sakar Murlis talk about “taking action,” “not to let the Drama do it for you,” 🙂 It is a way of being “proactive” while having ego. As we go deeper into this, we see that becoming ego-less is not about “reinforcing more ego in us,” but rather to step away from “pushing and controlling” things.
When “ego” is out of work, that is another way of becoming ego-less. But, when we haven’t gotten to this point of inner understanding, it is better to “push things” for otherwise, we could become lazy, and blame it on the Drama with the popular excuse: “If it is fixed in the Drama then I don’t have to do anything.” 🙂
That response shows clearly that our lazy ego believes in “doing” but if someone is doing for you, then why do anything. This is the “childish” understanding which Sakar Murlis had to deal with.
In that understanding we swim from “I” into “you.” In that understanding there is no depth. Without depth, “I better make effort” now.
Best wishes!
Question: om shanti , we have sustained life on planet earth which is repeating means “nothing new”, then what abt. the existance other celestial bodies in the vast universe , what is there reason for existance ? does they follow the same law of repeatation for the matter exist on them ? can baba`s gyan can explain there survival in universe and does have any possibility of existance of life far from earth ?
Thank you for your question!
Dear soul,
There are in this site a couple of articles that will help to clarify this.
The one below, is about how “collective consciousness,” will allow us to understand and perceive things in a particular way. Let us remember that reality as such is only a perception of it. This is supported by Gyan, for we need to remember that our “perceived” intelligence is nothing but just a role. Through that role is how we perceive the Universe.
According to Gyan, there is no human life outside the Earth. Here is where the Drama occurs.
Scientific knowledge in astronomy is pretentious at this time. As explained in the articles below, even movements of planets around the Earth are not understood. If you add the “new” knowledge of quantum physics, that will complicate matters about topics such as location of celestial bodies. All we have are just theories based on our “research tools” which are extensions of our physical senses. Those theories are changing and will change. However, we just need to remember that “there is a role” running through us which will make us understand things in a certain manner.
http://bkgyan.com/category/scientific-tales/
Through Gyan, we know that a “big bang” is impossible. That expansion of matter as a consequence of that initial explosion then, is doubtful.
If people “choose” to believe in an initial explosion as the origin of the Universe, “proofs” will be available for that. However, NO ONE has been able to come up with the answer as to how those elements (Hydrogen and helium, scientists tell us) got there in the first place to create the explosion. Who created them? Do we need a God creating things out of nothing to help them out? For me that is a basic logic flaw.
One more item. There is no “reason” for existence. Existence is what always has been existing. If matter exists in other places besides the Earth, then the same laws should apply and that is that matter cannot be created neither destroyed. It only transforms. Basic law which many times we forget. It is a cyclical transformation of matter.
Best wishes!
Question: OM SHANTI . I AM IN GYAN SINCE ONE YEAR. I AM CONFUSED ABT. 5000 YEAR CYCLE , IF IT IS REAPITATION THEN WHY REMAINS OF “SATYUG” AND ” TRETAYUGA” NOT VISIBLE TO OUR ARCHEOLOGIST EVEN WHEN THEY ARE GETTING REMAINS OF DINOSOURAS AND OTHER ANIMAL WHICH THEY CLAIM SOME LACKS OF YEAR OLD ? WHY THE INNVOTION OF MODERN SCIENCES CONTRADICT WITH BRAHMAKUMARIS GYAN ABOUT OUR EXISTANCE ON EARTH ? CAN YOU HELP ME IN REGARDS TO THIS …..
Thank you for your question!
Dear soul,
I have written here many articles about the 5000 year cycle. You can do a search on the “search article by keywords” in the blog, by the “blog stats.”
Let me showcase again an article which I wrote sometime ago https://explore7.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/chickenegg.pdf This article has been the #1 article for a long time now. This article even though it answers the question of “who is first the chicken or the egg?” in reality it answer the validity of cyclical time. That website is not a Brahma Kumaris website. Why is that article the #1 article if it merely explains gyan in a more worldly way? Please read it. (the article was in helium.com which is no longer in business.)
The cycle of time is what exists from a logical, reasonable perspective for there is no beginning of time and if there was, I am eagerly waiting for “proof” on that. 🙂 Please send that proof to me.
The “proof” of the cycle of time of being a short span, according to gyan; of 5000 years is quite possible if we just look at the trend on population. You may wan to look at this article.
That article has the classical answers. Finally, I want to add something “new.” You say that there are no “proof of the Golden age, etc.” Let me tell you that there is.
I am a Peruvian native. Let me tell you that the history that I learned in Peru about Peruvians and World history is quite different than the ones made by Americans and Europeans. It is not about dates. It is about perceptions and theories built upon them.
It is about covering up things that our science cannot explain through crafty theories.
Peru has been a “picnic place.” According to Gyan, that means a place where Deities used to go to “catch some rays,” and to surf by the Pacific ocean in their veemans. Peru has one of the oldest cultures in the world. It has been greatly exploited throughout history by different “Developed countries.” The history books of Peruvians are different when it comes to British and USA “doings” in Peruvian territory in the last 150 years. I know because I have studied them and somehow experienced it.
It is all about economical interests. History is written that way. Once Europeans came to Peru, a new religion was in place. That is Christianity. That religion wasn’t taken by the love of people for the “son of God,” but simply it was imposed. Likewise, Western culture is being imposed in a more “subtle way” in the world. Scientists will support the “status quo.” That means linear time. That means the belief that we are “much better off now than before,” that means that our culture is far more advanced now than what it was before.
Not true.
Please research about Macchu Picchu. “One of the 8 wonders of the world.” Please research about the Nazca Lines. I have been in Macchu Picchu a couple of times. There is no way on Earth that our current worshiped technology could make something like it. Look at the structures. Feel the vibes there. See how the knowledge of astronomy, architecture and aesthetics all blend in. Accepted theories show that this site was probably built by aliens… 🙂 Iam talking about something that I have first hand experience. There are other “memorials” in other parts of the world, such as the pyramids in Egypt, the ones in Mexico, their advanced knowledge in astronomy, etc.
Here a little website. By the way, “Macchu Picchu” was “discovered” by an American, Hiram Bingham; even though natives new about it long ago, but it takes a foreigner to “discover things.”
It is a wonder how scientific theories come mostly from American or British scientists, specially from the most renowned universities. You do not hear much about latin american scientists making a “breakthrough.” It is not because they cannot think. It is because they are not part of the “game.”
Please read this website for further information about the scientific whims of the time. How some scientists were treated just to preserve the “old stuff.” 🙂 Change is not always welcomed.
I think i have given you enough “intellectual material.” Just remember that a change of consciousness means a different way of looking at things. That hopefully will come with time.
Welcome to the BK club!
May you grow and prosper…
Best wishes!
Exploring the Depth of Living 