Integrating Ancient Wisdom in Modern Life: Surrendering the Self
- The second meaning of Swadhyaya – Surrendering the self fully to Supreme Consciousness is the spiritual act and trusting the divine wisdom to guide the life and actions of the self in order to work in the world. Swadhyaya directs our mind to surrender our whole being to higher, Supreme Consciousness. So that we act to serve the Supreme. Result of the action belongs to the Supreme. We act as the medium of Supreme.
- Ability to change the changeable. Accept what I cannot change in gratitude towards Supreme Consciousness. Be prayerful so you can differentiate what I can change and what I cannot. This will clear the cloud around our soul. This will create a base for Samadhi. As your fluctuating mind has become silent. Samadhi means you will pass into death. Birth is a stage, death is a stage. One who passes through all these stages, understanding will arise. Existence is a mystery. It is not something that you have to solve. It is not a problem, nor is it a puzzle; there is no solution to it. It can be lived but it cannot be solved.
- Cause of misery is we cannot differentiate what I can change and what I cannot. We have the capacity to change the changeable but because of our ignorance we try to change what we cannot change.
- There are five miseries which can be transcended with Kriya Yoga. They are Avidya – spiritual forgetting or ignorance, Asmita – egoism or I-am-ness, Raga – attachment, liking, Dvesha – repulsion and aversion, and Abhinivesha – fear of death and clinging to life. The outcome of five miseries are Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (covetousness), Moha (delusion), Mada (pride), Matsarya (jealousy) are the six passions of the mind.
- Root cause of five miseries is Avidya. Vidya means to know as it is. Avidya means to know things as they are not, misperception. There are two functions of Avidya veil and projection. Avidya covers truth and projects illusion. Covering permanence – consciousness and projecting temporary – gross. There are four projections – Impermanent – Eternal, Impure – Pure, Misery – Happiness, and Not-self – Self. Four temporaries are Impermanent, Impure, Misery and Not-self. Our fluctuating mind projects this temporary as permanent. From this understanding we create our world which is false, maya. Remember Maya means glamour and Avidya means to know things as they are not, misperception.
- We can realise this temporary and can move towards permanent only when we realise that what we think is permanent is changing. Character of permanent is Unchanging. Character of temporary is Change.
