Meditation — power of discrimination

The same factor called sense allows us to involve in actions which brings us pleasure. But in reality all that which gives us pain in the present will turn out to be beneficial in the future and all that pleasures in the present can turn out to be the source of permanent damage in the future. We human beings are not just living out of strength; we are living out of feelings. We are made up of lot of emotions. At any given situation, the initial decision taken by us is based on our beliefs and most of these belief systems are formed based on our emotions and not our knowledge. Once you realise this amazing truth, any challenging situation can be faced without fear. While facing a problem, you will have the courage to do what you want to do. Nothing can stop you. Henceforth you are sure to live a life of resilience and abundance and not of resistance and obstacles. So, I request all the readers to intake this truth. This is not a mere concept which will differ from person to person. Truth has no two versions and it’s the same for all.

A human being failing to increase his ability of discrimination will never experience transformation in his life. In fact our Katha Upanishads talk about Shreyas and Preyas in a beautiful way. Every situation has these two concepts- the ability to discriminate between good and bad and not between pain and pleasure. Shastras never insisted on believing in God; they asked us to realise and accept God. Even after accepting God, without your effort to discriminate between good and bad, life will never give you any good experiences. So, the best prayer that you can do is not to ask for good health but to ask for the ability to discriminate between good and bad. Consider the simple example of a child who craves for ice-cream and chocolates just for the sake of the momentary pleasure, not aware of the ill-effects. He does not pay heed to his parents’ words who keep advising about having vegetables and fruits. At a later stage when he grows up, he realises that he was forced to go through unpleasant experiences of having healthy food only to enjoy a healthy life throughout. We realize the importance of something only after we lose it. In reality an adult and child are the same. We are in search of pleasures; we just keep doing something which does not really resolve the problem.

We are so much focused about mind and mind power which has become a trend in the present era. There is something beyond this mind power, mahat or buddhi. Mind is related to skill. With buddhi you can guide or control the mind, but for that you need to know how to enhance or utilize the buddhi. This is where meditation plays a major role. Meditation helps you to increase the ability of the buddhi which is innate in every human being. But for this, you need to put in some effort. In simple words, life is not the same for everyone. At times we think why our life is not like the one which successful people enjoy. There is a difference between owning and knowing. Everybody owns a buddhi but not everyone knows how to utilize it. For example, there is a person who is very good at playing guitar but is very poor to afford his own instrument. On the other side, there is a person who owns all possible models of guitars but doesn’t know the basics of it. Now whom do we call as a guitarist? Obviously the one who knows to play it. When the other person plays it, it is sure to create discomfort for others. Similarly in relationships, many people don’t know how to handle their buddhi and end up affecting others and creating unpleasant situations. This is the state of every human being. Just because you have a heart and it has cardiac function, you cannot become a cardiologist. Only a person who can fix cardiac problems is called a cardiologist. So, ask yourself whether you are a Buddhist and this term doesn’t mean the follower of Buddha. Buddha is not an individual person but is a state of buddhi. It is a state of human consciousness. When your buddhi is under your control, anybody can be called as Buddha and when you know how to make use of buddhi, you are called as Buddhist. Like how a cardiologist and neurologist fix various problems, you will also use your buddhi to fix the problems in your life.

The only way to learn how to make use of your buddhi is meditation. That is the reason even Buddha insisted on meditation and not on God. Of course the external world is nothing but the exact reflection of the inner self, but unless you change your inner world, you cannot conquer the outside world. This is possible only by connecting with the higher consciousness, the divine power. Meditation (Atma-dhyana) opens the path for this connection. No enlightened masters ever insisted on God, they insisted on sadhanas which will increase your ability to discriminate between good and bad and not between the pleasure and pain. The ultimate truth we derive is that nothing is going to change by doing mechanical rituals or blindly following some religious beliefs. In fact you will lose the existing goodness in life if you don’t understand this reality. This is not just a piece of information. This is the fundamental source for your ultimate transformation for which your effort is the first and foremost requirement. If you follow this, you will be promised a life you really want to live.

Wishing you a Life Full of Peace, Success & Abundance.Atmayogi Shri AasaanjiAham Brahmasmi !