Ajay0

I consider emotion to be different from feeling. Feeling is connected with the higher Self or awareness while emotion is connected with the ego or lower self . Hatred, lust, greed are also emotions. I am trying to reduce all personal emotions in myself by being impersonal and objective, and cultivate conscious feelings of total love and compassion instead.

Karma is but cause and effect. We sow what we reap. So if we are reaping weeds in life, we need to focus attention on what we sow so that we can reap delicious fruits and vegetables instead later on. Here is an article on Karma by Sister Mohini Panjabi of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris which can help frame a positive understanding of karma...

Awareness is who we are and forgetting that leads to suffering. ~ Vicki Woodyard Being unconscious means you’re lost in thought, in the pictures and stories your mind is producing. You have entered the made-up content of your mind and are occupying it as if it were reality itself. Your ego is invested in this content as being real and important, and very likely as a result you are experiencing some kind of emotion (stirred up by the thinking). You have forgotten that all of it is the product of your mind (even if its content appears to be true or important). As a result, you are missing actual reality, what’s happening in the now — including that you are inventing the thoughts. ~ Jan Frasier Your true nature is awareness and not what your mind is producing. ~ Burt Harding

There is belief in reincarnation in eastern religious philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism and Taoism. This is also an esoteric belief in some streams of Judaism, in Druid religion of the Gauls, in ancient greek philosophy as well, and some sects of sufism. Reincarnation is also an intrinsic part of some northern Native American and Inuit traditions. The research and books of well-established psychiatrists Dr.Brian Weiss, Dr. Michael Newton, Dr.Ian Stevenson citing case studies of reincarnation have given enough evidence that reincarnation is not a mere Oriental theory but may have its foundations in fact. Here are two articles dealing with past life remembrance... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1209795/Reincarnated-Our-son-World-War-II-pilot-come-life.html https://www.reincarnationresearch.com/japanese-soldier-reincarnates-as-a-woman-lesbian/

An insightful article by the enlightened master Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on the mechanics of human suffering... https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/wisdom/article/the-mechanics-of-human-suffering Total identification with thoughts and corresponding emotions in the mind makes us oblivious to the beauty and warmth of existence around us and benefiting from them. One can sit in the beach or garden and completely miss the beautiful sunset or beautiful flowers from beginning to end due to engrossment in thoughts. It is this complete identification with the thinking and emoting process and inability to detach from them, that is the cause of psychological suffering as it is basically an unnatural state. The greater the number of desires one harbors in the form of cravings and aversions, the greater the thought process , and in corresponding proportion one misses out on the joys of life and nature around us, cocooned in our own mental worlds built of desires and fears.

Insightful article by female enlightened master Jan Frazier on being conscious and unconscious.... https://janfrazierteachings.com/2014/05/26/being-conscious/ All thought have its source in past memories, and when thought dominates the present moment experience to the exclusion of everything else, one is allowing the past to contaminate the present experience, and make it stale. In awareness or pure consciousness, one sees reality as it is without the intrusion of the past, and thus perceives each situation afresh, without our likes and dislikes due to past memories getting in the way distorting the experience.

Rajini Menon Anandamayi Ma Mata Amritanandamayi Jan Frazier Gangaji Mother Meera Anandmurti Gurumaa Karunamayi Ma Jac O'Keeffe Shivani Varma ( Prajapita Brahmakumaris )

I used to think about this in retrospect. If I could go back to college, I would study philosophy, psychology and good literature. In this way I would have a foundational understanding of the art of living, and then study some other technical oriented subjects like commerce or engineering.

Dadi Janki (1 Jan 1916 - 27 march 2020) was the chief administrative head of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, the world's largest spiritual organization led, administered and taught by women and which have 9000 service centers spanning across 170 countries in the world. The Prajapita Brahmakumaris is also known as the Adi Devi Devatha Sanathana Dharma. Dadi Janki was often considered as the lone female equivalent of the Pope or Ayatollah or Shankaracharya or Dalai Lama in a religious world overwhelmingly dominated by male leaders. Dadi, which means 'grandmother' in Indian language, trained and prepared thousands of female spiritual teachers for decades, who are now engaged in imparting values and spiritual teachings around the world . She has conducted lectures and seminars at various national and international events for the promotion of human values and the empowerment of women around the world . Through her many years of work, Dadi Janki has provided guidance and support to many, counseling them in a variety of areas, including emotional and psychological problems, family relationships and substance abuse. Her daily routine started at 3 am in the morning for meditation till 7 am. Her breakfast included oatmeal, upma and fruits followed by khichdi or vegetables in lunch and condensed soup of vegetables in dinner. In 1978, Scientists at the Medical and Science, Research Institute at the University of Texas, USA examined the brain wave pattern of Dadi Janki. She was described as the most stable mind in the world as her mental state remained completely undisturbed despite various kinds of external stimuli being applied. It was found that she emits delta waves even at trying times, leaving examiners surprised. (Delta brainwaves are slow, loud brainwaves- low frequency and deep penetrating, like a drum beat. They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep. Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state.) She attributes her equanimous mental state to Raja Yoga meditation. Sharing tips for a calm mind, she said, "We waste a lot of time criticizing others instead of focusing on ourselves." In 2004, she was awarded Grand Cordon of the first order of Al Istiklal (the Medal of Independence) by HM King Abdullah of Jordan for her humanitarian services to the world. In 2005, The Peace Abbey presented Dadi Janki with the 2005 Courage of Conscience Award for a lifetime dedicated to the service of humanity. In 2019, at the age of 103, she travelled almost 72000 km in India and across the world for her services. Upon her death, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Janki Dadi worked diligently for the society. Her efforts made a positive difference in the lives of many people ." The Indian president President Ram Nath Kovind stated that her contributions in the fields of spirituality, social welfare and women's empowerment had been invaluable. Dadi Hirdaya Mohini has now taken charge as the chief administrative head of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris at present. The Janki Foundation for promoting spirituality in Healthcare, was inspired and launched by Dadi Janki, and which advocates a healthcare model that combines the best of modern medicine with complementary approaches and spirituality. Research findings and clinical experience increasingly reveal the psychosomatic nature of disease and that spiritual factors have a significant part to play in recovery from illness. Launched in December 1997 at the Royal College of Physicians, London, the Janki Foundation’s premise is that better understanding of these factors can benefit both patient and practitioner by promoting healing, reducing stress and staff fatigue and raising morale. The President – About Dadi Janki Dadi Janki has also published several books, including Companion of God, Wings of Soul, and Pearls of Wisdom. Some wise sayings of Dadi Janki... “Yoga is awareness, a Sadhana of human to divine consciousness. The modern system looks after just physical health, whereas the term Health, encompasses a complete mental, social, physical and spiritual well-being. Raja Yoga meditation changes the internal physiological response to environmental circumstances, thereby creating an adaptive and positive response. The power of the mind to resist disease is increased enormously as the subconscious level is healed and higher consciousness is awakened.” “At least, put an end to the crisis within your own mind when you can’t do much about the crisis outside of you. Flexibility means converting your problems into teachers. Never lose hope, never give up — if the task is given, you will also get the power to fulfil it. Light and Might are with you as your Right from God. You can bend only when you are strong. Be like the lotus, take what is useful but do not let the dirt spoil your beauty. Sorrow makes one sick and scared, so do not take it from anyone. If you allow the negative in word, thought or form to enter you, then it is due to your weakness. Always ask what you have to do at this moment in time and not past or future.”

The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. ~ Eckhart Tolle If you don't have very strong emotions or very intense thoughts about something, you cannot get depressed. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Life is rooted in reality, not in your thoughts and emotions. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them. ~ Eckhart Tolle The most beautiful moments in your life – moments of bliss, moments of joy, moments of ecstasy, moments of utter peace – were moments when you were not thinking about anything. You were just living. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

I know of an enlightened master called Devamrita who ate meat and drank beer as well. However, at the same time, he was also able to practice present moment awareness constantly and precisely for six months while working as a pharmacist to the point that he dissolved all his karma and became enlightened. Nisargadatta Maharaj also ate meat. These masters were blessed with excellent powers of application and this is why they were able to attain enlightenment. Application and completion makes the impossible possible. This power of application came from the daily practice of their careers or profession as a pharmacist and businessman which demanded diligence and precision. That said, vegetarianism and abstinence from intoxicants aids the spiritual process. I have noted that most quality meditators were vegetarians or abstained from meat.

There is a saying by Bruce Lee, " If one loves, one need not have an ideology of love." Similarly I don't think virtuous conduct and behavior needs ideologies to back them up. All ideologies are creations of thought, and nazism and fascism especially are bankrupt ideologies in terms of virtuous conduct, and guided by nihilist thought processes which undermine virtues and value systems. Imo, the Golden rule, which is there in almost every religion of the world and secular humanism, along with listening to the inner voice or conscience as Rajini Menon puts it, is enough for framing virtuous conduct and behavior.

An insightful article on female enlightened master Rajini Menon attaining enlightenment just through adhering to virtuous conduct and behavior. https://www.lifepositive.com/a-light-unto-herself/ If you do right, irrespective of what the other does, it will slow down the mind. - Rajini Menon Swami Satchidananda also states in this regard.... “When even one virtue becomes our nature, the mind becomes clean and tranquil. Then there is no need to practice meditation; we will automatically be meditating always.” - Swami Satchidananda I would say this showcases the importance of virtues and virtuous or ethical conduct as taught in the world religions and secular humanism, and shows that they are not limited to mere conditioning or are abstract contrivances as nihilism and existentialism believes them to be. Sound adherence to morals and ethical conduct can even enable an agnostic or nontheist to attain enlightenment, without religions or spiritual masters, as is the case with Rajini Menon.

Consciousness is subtler than thought, so thought is not the proper instrument to perceive it. Because we live in an intellectual culture which gives primacy to the intellect and thought, people find it hard to recognize the fact that there is something more subtler than thought itself. There are some masters who are very articulate and was able to teach the message properly to laymen, like Jiddu Krishnamurti, Eckhart Tolle, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jean Klein and so on. But overall it is a very tough job due to the fact that the intellect is describing that which is even subtler than it. Imo, Zen Koans are also pretty useful teachings in this regard.

@ Arzack " Thought associated with the psychological past creates the thinker. Hence thoughts are not the problem, the psychological past is the problem. The psychological past manipulates thought so that the thinker can survive." An enlightened master wrote the above. Would you care to elaborate on it !

I must say this is a very original statement. I hope your present state of samadhi does not cease. Imho, even to write something like this indicates a high spiritual degree of understanding and development. Thank you for the elaborate post which is reasonable and well put.

For the good of the world and all sentient beings, I do sincerely wish that you are enlightened. The positive vibes can help a lot of beings. But, respectfully asking, isn't boredom and craving of attention, a sign of the ego and its need for sensation ! Shouldn't you be just content with the bliss and peace you must be feeling ?

As per eastern philosophy, the male and female energies exist in all human beings as our parents are both male and female, and in the state of enlightenment these energies are in a state of total harmony and balance. This is what the Taoist symbol of Yin and yang means, and also the Hindu concept of Ardhanareshwara. What Sadhguru means here is that the seemingly opposite qualities of the masculine and feminine have been reconciled in the enlightened person. The Self or pure consciousness is revealed when one goes beyond the pair of opposites. In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, which is often referred to by Adyashanti, there is a saying of Jesus very similar to the above theme. I am not a christian, and I am just putting this here for general reference...