Denis
Jedi Master
Approx. 5 months ago a friend of mine gave me this book as a gift and I really enjoyed reading it. I also find it to be very useful in terms of personal growth and development, similar to what I feel this forum and its content provides to the ones who are honestly seeking the truth and who are willing to embark on their own journey towards self discovery. So I've decided to share this information here, I find this book has a priceless educational value and I am interested to hear your own unique perspectives and understandings on its content.
I will take the time to paste here a few excerpts from the book so you can gain some insight...
The expansion of consciousness - A new perspective
Imagine that you are lost in a deep valley, surrounded by thickly growing bushes and trees. You are able to see a short distance ahead and on the sides, because of the dense forest surrounding you. You are preoccupied with protecting yourself and satisfying your immediate needs. You are concerned with finding water, food, shelter and protections from the animals. You feel frightened and desperate, wondering how you will ever find your way out.
After a considerable struggle you finally climb to the top of the ridge surrounding the valley. There your field of awareness is extended and you can look down to where you were previously standing. From this higher point you see a winding stream and some fruit trees just a short distance off from where you had been. When you were in the valley the water and trees were unknown. For you they did not exist. The fear of suffering from thirst and hunger was very real to you then. But from a larger perspective at the top of the ridge you can see that there was no need to be concerned at all. Your problems were created by your own imagination by the narrowness of your perception.
From the ridge where you are now standing you can see even higher plateaus surrounding you, and you wonder what lies beyond them. Though your perspective is greater than it was before, it is still far from all encompassing. You are still preoccupied with finding your way out of the wilderness and seeking shelter. Though your field of vision has been enlarged and your anxieties somewhat reduced, many uncertainties remain. So you begin to make your way toward a higher vantage point. It takes considerable time and effort to reach it, but when you finally climb, exhausted, to the top of a large hill, your efforts are rewarded by a still greater perspective and you are overjoyed to see in the distance a trail and beyond it, still further, the smoke of some tents of some campers.
Each time that you climb to a higher vantage point the range of your vision is enlarged and your understanding of the entire situation is altered. You see things from a more encompassing perspective which allows you to be less concerned and anxious and enables you to relate to your environment in terms of how it really is rather than in terms of how you imagined it to be from a more limited point of view.
On individual Growth and development:
The expansion of consciousness does not merely lie in the quantitative accumulation of experiences but in a qualitative change in the person who is experiencing. The path of development, be it the development of an individual or of mankind as a whole, is nothing but a gradual and progressive expansion of awareness. The entire process of human development is thus a process of broadening our perspective. When awareness expands and we start establishing ourselves in our true nature, we find that we can rise above all pains and pleasures. As we evolve, there will be less self-preoccupation and more concern for others. Thus the evolution of consciousness is not annihilation but an expansion of identity. The main point of yoga psychology is for us to understand that the center of self consciousness is different from the thought patterns. As long as we look towards others, towards objects or experiences to provide answers to life's riddles, we will go on experiencing confusion, for it is a situation in which the blind are leading the blind. Each and every one of us is on a journey. Our destination is a state in which our identity is not narrowly confined but embraces all. This is the underlying goal that each of us has, the ultimate purpose of our existence. Seeing the horizon from a narrow window is different from seeing the horizon from the roof. The secret of playing one's role in life is in knowing the technique of it and yet living above the role. Whether one is in isolation or amidst a multitude of worldly activities, the opportunity to grow and develop presents itself in every situation. It is not necessary to escape from a personal predicament in order to have the proper atmosphere for growth. The really crucial thing is how we deal with the situations that are going on inside our heads. Whether we find happiness and joy in life depends on what attitude we assume toward our role in this grand drama. If we can see in every experience the potential for learning, we can use every situation in a constructive way. When we develop a more neutral attitude and become less identified with our role, then we can open ourselves to being able to see how other people are experiencing the world.
On understanding children :
Despite what modern psychology teaches about the overriding importance of family influence, people who have observed young children are immediately struck by the inexplicable differences between one child and another in the same family. Psychologists try to account for this through explanation of differences in body, brain or genetic inheritance and then also suggest that family environment is never quite the same for any two children. However, those who are around children find that the differences between siblings is often so great that the aforementioned factors, important as they may be, never seem to adequately explain or account for this. The notion that the child may bring its own innate tendencies (vasanas) into the present birth seems to fit the facts more closely. This understanding would tremendously help in seeing the child as an individual who has come to them with his own separate history and unique personality. A sense of possessiveness would greatly diminish. Relationships will become more open, nurturing and harmonious.
On concept of freedom:
Despite our conviction that we are free, that we have freedom of choice, each one of us upon careful examination will find that we are, in fact, slaves to our emotions, to irrational impulses, to habits, and to desires for sensual pleasure and comfort. We are entrapped in the drama of our existence, and all the while we mock ourselves with the protest that we are free individuals. Whenever there is an increase in freedom there is also a corresponding increase in responsibility; that freedom only exists in the context of responsibility. It does not make sense to talk about freedom alone, for the two, freedom and responsibility, always go hand in hand and one cannot exist without the other. We will find that the whole of our natural world is arranged in this way that freedom exists only in proportion to the amount of responsibility that we assume. Anger is a violent emotion without reason. Reason disappears when one gets angry. The faculty of discrimination between right and wrong does not function. It is possible to be forceful and dynamic and to control someone who is aggressive towards you without yourself getting aroused. The more we approach any situation with doubt and fear, the more likely it is that the very thing we fear will come about. In life, we find two principles; one is expansion and another is contraction. If one learns to expand one's consciousness by selfless action, speech and thoughts, one can attain the highest rank in human life. But if one becomes selfish, one can contract his vision, thinking, and entire living by leading a miserable life.
Love and Joy
Joy is the first- born of love. LIFE WITHOUT JOY IS A LIGHT WHICH SHINES ONLY FOR THE DEAD. Joy is very necessary for maintaining harmony within oneself and in one's relationships in the world, at home and in society. So live life with Joy.
I will take the time to paste here a few excerpts from the book so you can gain some insight...
The expansion of consciousness - A new perspective
Imagine that you are lost in a deep valley, surrounded by thickly growing bushes and trees. You are able to see a short distance ahead and on the sides, because of the dense forest surrounding you. You are preoccupied with protecting yourself and satisfying your immediate needs. You are concerned with finding water, food, shelter and protections from the animals. You feel frightened and desperate, wondering how you will ever find your way out.
After a considerable struggle you finally climb to the top of the ridge surrounding the valley. There your field of awareness is extended and you can look down to where you were previously standing. From this higher point you see a winding stream and some fruit trees just a short distance off from where you had been. When you were in the valley the water and trees were unknown. For you they did not exist. The fear of suffering from thirst and hunger was very real to you then. But from a larger perspective at the top of the ridge you can see that there was no need to be concerned at all. Your problems were created by your own imagination by the narrowness of your perception.
From the ridge where you are now standing you can see even higher plateaus surrounding you, and you wonder what lies beyond them. Though your perspective is greater than it was before, it is still far from all encompassing. You are still preoccupied with finding your way out of the wilderness and seeking shelter. Though your field of vision has been enlarged and your anxieties somewhat reduced, many uncertainties remain. So you begin to make your way toward a higher vantage point. It takes considerable time and effort to reach it, but when you finally climb, exhausted, to the top of a large hill, your efforts are rewarded by a still greater perspective and you are overjoyed to see in the distance a trail and beyond it, still further, the smoke of some tents of some campers.
Each time that you climb to a higher vantage point the range of your vision is enlarged and your understanding of the entire situation is altered. You see things from a more encompassing perspective which allows you to be less concerned and anxious and enables you to relate to your environment in terms of how it really is rather than in terms of how you imagined it to be from a more limited point of view.
On individual Growth and development:
The expansion of consciousness does not merely lie in the quantitative accumulation of experiences but in a qualitative change in the person who is experiencing. The path of development, be it the development of an individual or of mankind as a whole, is nothing but a gradual and progressive expansion of awareness. The entire process of human development is thus a process of broadening our perspective. When awareness expands and we start establishing ourselves in our true nature, we find that we can rise above all pains and pleasures. As we evolve, there will be less self-preoccupation and more concern for others. Thus the evolution of consciousness is not annihilation but an expansion of identity. The main point of yoga psychology is for us to understand that the center of self consciousness is different from the thought patterns. As long as we look towards others, towards objects or experiences to provide answers to life's riddles, we will go on experiencing confusion, for it is a situation in which the blind are leading the blind. Each and every one of us is on a journey. Our destination is a state in which our identity is not narrowly confined but embraces all. This is the underlying goal that each of us has, the ultimate purpose of our existence. Seeing the horizon from a narrow window is different from seeing the horizon from the roof. The secret of playing one's role in life is in knowing the technique of it and yet living above the role. Whether one is in isolation or amidst a multitude of worldly activities, the opportunity to grow and develop presents itself in every situation. It is not necessary to escape from a personal predicament in order to have the proper atmosphere for growth. The really crucial thing is how we deal with the situations that are going on inside our heads. Whether we find happiness and joy in life depends on what attitude we assume toward our role in this grand drama. If we can see in every experience the potential for learning, we can use every situation in a constructive way. When we develop a more neutral attitude and become less identified with our role, then we can open ourselves to being able to see how other people are experiencing the world.
On understanding children :
Despite what modern psychology teaches about the overriding importance of family influence, people who have observed young children are immediately struck by the inexplicable differences between one child and another in the same family. Psychologists try to account for this through explanation of differences in body, brain or genetic inheritance and then also suggest that family environment is never quite the same for any two children. However, those who are around children find that the differences between siblings is often so great that the aforementioned factors, important as they may be, never seem to adequately explain or account for this. The notion that the child may bring its own innate tendencies (vasanas) into the present birth seems to fit the facts more closely. This understanding would tremendously help in seeing the child as an individual who has come to them with his own separate history and unique personality. A sense of possessiveness would greatly diminish. Relationships will become more open, nurturing and harmonious.
On concept of freedom:
Despite our conviction that we are free, that we have freedom of choice, each one of us upon careful examination will find that we are, in fact, slaves to our emotions, to irrational impulses, to habits, and to desires for sensual pleasure and comfort. We are entrapped in the drama of our existence, and all the while we mock ourselves with the protest that we are free individuals. Whenever there is an increase in freedom there is also a corresponding increase in responsibility; that freedom only exists in the context of responsibility. It does not make sense to talk about freedom alone, for the two, freedom and responsibility, always go hand in hand and one cannot exist without the other. We will find that the whole of our natural world is arranged in this way that freedom exists only in proportion to the amount of responsibility that we assume. Anger is a violent emotion without reason. Reason disappears when one gets angry. The faculty of discrimination between right and wrong does not function. It is possible to be forceful and dynamic and to control someone who is aggressive towards you without yourself getting aroused. The more we approach any situation with doubt and fear, the more likely it is that the very thing we fear will come about. In life, we find two principles; one is expansion and another is contraction. If one learns to expand one's consciousness by selfless action, speech and thoughts, one can attain the highest rank in human life. But if one becomes selfish, one can contract his vision, thinking, and entire living by leading a miserable life.
Love and Joy
Joy is the first- born of love. LIFE WITHOUT JOY IS A LIGHT WHICH SHINES ONLY FOR THE DEAD. Joy is very necessary for maintaining harmony within oneself and in one's relationships in the world, at home and in society. So live life with Joy.
) I believe Einstein said it too: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." But ok, as the old saying goes: To each his own. As for these teachings being "nutritionally valuable to the soul as sugar is to the body": the existence of soul falls in the domain of theology and as far as I know its existence hasn't been verified as a fact, so for the sake of this discussion lets just stick to the facts, ok? (I'm not saying that soul doesn't exist, I'm just saying that I don't know, but I do know that I am HERE right now, of that I am certain)
, well that's life).
