Scientific Studies of Mind, Matter, Spirit and Consciousness PDF

Four Decades of Educational Excellence FACULTY OF PEACE STUDIES Study Material WPC2013B /PCE7UC01A/PCE7UC03A Scientific Studies of Mind, Matter, Spirit and Consciousness 1  From...

Four Decades of Educational Excellence FACULTY OF PEACE STUDIES Study Material WPC2013B /PCE7UC01A/PCE7UC03A Scientific Studies of Mind, Matter, Spirit and Consciousness 1  From the founders... "I believe that peace would be established in the society through value based ‘UNIVERSAL EDUCATION SYSTEM’ which, inspires to give back to the society." "With the synergy of academia with technology, technology with research, research with industry, industry with economy, economy with social innovation and social innovation with Peace, we are committed to make MIT- WPU a world class space of intellectual excellence, where reason and rationality reigns, humanism rules, and learning becomes a great adventure. With this vision, the peace component in the curriculum and yoga practices have been quite thoughtfully added to the credit system." 2  INDEX 1 Introduction 2 Evolution of Consciousness A Conscious, Subconscious and Superconscious Mind B The Three Bodies C The Subtle Body – its functions and evolution D Meditation and Neuroscience E Expansion of Consciousness and its Benefits 3 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success 4 Yogic Psychology 5 Concept of Spirit/Soul/Self/Atman/Brahman/Ishvara/God in Different Eastern Philosophies of India 6 March towards Freedom 7 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success 3 Scientific Studies of Mind, Matter, Spirit and Consciousness Introduction As humans we always aspire to be happy and successful. Humanity seems to have progressed in all areas and the Science and Technology has helped mankind to improve the standard of living. While there is so much progress seen on the materialistic level and there seems enough resources for all inthe world, then why is there so much suffering? These and other questions like below are worth thinking and worth spending time and efforts to gain knowledge and techniques that can help answer them. How can I realize my full potential? How can I become more confident? How can I improve my relationships? How can I find the purpose of my life? How can I become successful, happy and contented? How can I get long lasting happiness? Not the short-lived happiness? How can I become more creative and innovative? How can I overcome my sufferings? How can I get peace and happiness? How can I become more loving and compassionate? How can I become healthier both physically and mentally? How can I remove my own negative habits and inculcate positive habits? How can I become more disciplined? Why is a human being suffering his/her own mind? How can I become emotionally intelligent? How can I overcome the fear, anxiety? Even the fear of death? Why do people get depressed? Why is human being so selfish and indifferent to the sufferings of other fellow being andnature as a whole? Why is Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication and Creativity listed amongst the 21stCentury most required skills list? Its ironical to know that we as humans who are supposed to be rational thinkers and inherent collaborators with great communication skills are lacking it? What is the purpose of my life? Why do I have this life? Why is our own mind an issue when it is supposed to be a great gift for a human? Are the truths of the Ancient Spiritual giants actually science? Is science actually trying to prove the truths documented in ancient Spiritual texts? What are the Spiritual laws that I should be aware of to help make my decisions in life? What is Consciousness, Spirit? Who am I? How can I understand Vasudaiva Kutumbakkam – one global family is true scientifically? 4  These and many related questions that we have in modern times are important to be answered tohelp us achieve our full potential and lead a happy and contented life. This also helps humanity to progress collectively in all areas in harmony of nature This course mains to provide the requisite knowledge to help us answer these questions ourselves. Course also provides practical tools and techniques to help elevate our consciousness which benefits us to realize our full potential and lead a healthy, happy, successful and contented life inharmony with Mother Nature. The course also has the power to change our personality to become more loving, peaceful, collaborative and creative if the knowledge is understood well and tools and techniques arepracticed as prescribed. Welcome Aboard the Course and best wishes to gain this critical knowledge that has the power tocreate a much better and Peaceful Loving World than it is now. 5  Evolution of Consciousness Contents 1. Introduction & Conscious, Subconscious and Superconscious Mind 2. The Three Bodies 3. The Subtle body and its evolution 4. Meditation and Neuroscience 5. Expansion of Consciousness and its benefits Introduction What is our human existence all about? We have always strived for more than peace and calmness.Think of a gold medal Olympian, a Nobel Prize winning scientist, a master violinist, a world- renowned chef, or a small child learning to walk. When we strive to excel at anything in life, we arewilling to undergo struggles and discomfort to attain our goals. Life on Earth is about evolution. Every life is an evolution in developing wisdom, skills and attitudes. Inventions and discoveries are about evolution. Evolution is growth, change and transformation, and anyone who has ever had anygoal or purpose in life knows that this instinct to excel and to push past the boundaries into the unknown is part of being human. It is in our DNA. Peoples of all ages and cultures have asked some very fundamental questions: Who are we? Wherehave we come from? What is the purpose of life? Where are we going after this life? These questions form the base of enquiry in science, religion, psychology, philosophy, and the mystical traditions of the world. They have led to our theories of the creation of the universe, andour exploration of the building blocks of matter and life on earth. Without these questions, we would never have discovered the structure of the atom or the stars and planets of our galaxy and beyond. The very fact that we ask these fundamental questions is because we are human. Homo sapiens means ‘wise man’, and the word ‘man’ comes from the original Sanskrit ‘manas’ meaning mind, one of the subtle bodies that we will discuss in this series. Even our taxonomic description of ourselves isconcerned with the mind. So, logic says that our purpose as human beings is all about the mind, and thus about consciousness. Actually, our lives are led day in and day out trying to fulfil that higher purpose, even though most of the time we are unaware we are doing so. In this pursuit, we search to eclipse ourselves in love, we search for meaning, and we often search to escape the boundaries of everyday mundane existence, into an expanded state of consciousness, whether by healthy or unhealthy means. Consciousness The Oxford Living Dictionary defines consciousness as "The state of being aware of and responsive toone's surroundings.", "A person's awareness or perception of something." and "The fact of awarenessby the mind of itself and the world” By the above definitions, we understand that Consciousness is all about awareness and it is our Mindwhich experiences different states of Consciousness. 6  Conscious, Subconscious and Superconscious Mind Learning Outcome 1. Spectrum of Consciousness 2. Yogic and scientific perspective 3. Why a spiritual practice? 4. Practical: Guided Relaxation Consciousness’ is a popular word these days in the field of mind-body medicine, and also at the cutting edge of research in science and spirituality and the quantum field. The idea of a spectrum ofconsciousness is not new. Yogis and mystics have written about it since time immemorial, and morerecently also western psychoanalysts and psychologists like Carl Jung and Ken Wilbur. What do we learn from this literature? It tells us there is a vast spectrum of consciousness in a human being, spanning the subconsciousmind through consciousness and all the way to the superconscious realm, most of which we don’tunderstand. The great Swami Vivekananda once said, “Consciousness is a mere film between twooceans, the subconscious and the superconscious.” He understood the infinite, limitless nature ofthis spectrum, because his own state had expanded across that spectrum. He could observe and describe exactly what he found. This was also the case with Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, who researched and described the statesof consciousness and super consciousness of the various chakras in the Heart Region, the Mind Region and the Central Region of a human being. In the light of these findings, science still lags a long way behind Yoga in describing the spectrum of consciousness. If you meditate with Yogic Transmission or pranahuti, you will experience more and more deeply and broadly this spectrum of consciousness and go beyond experience into the realm of direct perception and knowledge. Gradually more and more of this vast field of consciousness will open up to you. Swami Vivekananda once said: “What does consciousness matter? Why, it is nothing compared with the unfathomable depths of the subconscious and the heights of the superconscious! In this I could never be misled, for had I not seen Ramakrishna Paramahamsa gather in ten minutes, from a man’s subconscious mind, the whole of his past, and determine from that his future and his powers?” 7  Scientists say the same thing in another way. For example, in The Biology of Belief, Dr Bruce Lipton says: When it comes to sheer neurological processing abilities, the subconscious mind is more than amillion times more powerful than the conscious mind. If the desires of the conscious mind conflict with the programs of the subconscious mind, which ‘mind’ do you think will win out?... the greatest problem that we face is that we think we are running our lives with the wishes, desires andaspirations created by our conscious mind. When we struggle or fail to obtain our goals, we are generally led to conclude that we are victims of outside forces preventing us from reaching our destination. However, neuroscience has now established that the conscious mind runs the show, atbest, only about 5 per cent of the time. It turns out that the programs acquired by the subconscious mind shape 95 per cent or more of our life experiences (Szegedy-Maszak 2005). Arthur Koestler published a book in 1964 called The Act of Creation on how superconscious inspiration manifests in human creativity. When we ponder over great scientific discoveries and yogic findings, the source of such discovery and inspiration comes from the superconscious, whichis able to blossom when a person is in an overall relaxed state. Consider the great discovery of the Archimedes Principle, or the fundamental principle of gravitation by Sir Isaac Newton, or radioactivity by Madame Curie, or the discovery of the structure of the benzene molecule and the double helix structure of DNA. They did not appear as a result of rational deductive thought, but instead emerged through dreams or when their discoverers were completely relaxed and not ‘thinking’. Spiritual findings and scientific findings share the same source. They are not opposed in their approach. But even without acknowledging the superconscious, Dr Lipton does point out just how much vaster the subconscious is than the conscious mind. With the support of Transmission, weare able to expand our consciousness in both directions, to explore these previously unknown territories of the subconscious and superconscious. 8  WHY A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE? The purpose of any spiritual practice is to expand consciousness. The Heartfulness practices enableour available consciousness to expand and evolve from mundane consciousness to divine consciousness. There are 4 core practices of Heartfulness. We will be explaining and also experiencing these practices during this series. Audio and video for the practices available at https://heartfulness.org/in/ 1. Relaxation 2. Meditation 3. Cleaning 4. Inner Connect Anyone above 15 years of age can learn the core practices of Heartfulness. However, those below 15years of age can listen to Relaxation at any time of the day. One needs to contact a Heartfulness Trainer (https://heartspots.heartfulness.org/ ) and attend 3 sessions (1 session per day on 3 consecutive days) to learn above practices. This enables them to start the practice on their own with continued support on a regular basis (once a week / once in afortnight) from a trainer. One can also download the HeartsApp https://heartfulness.org/in/heartsapp/ to take sessions froma trainer remotely. PRACTICAL I - RELAXATION # 1 Core Practice: Relaxation Why is it important to relax? There are many reasons including to unwind physically, to calmdown when we are upset, to relax tired muscles at the end of the hectic day and to free our body and mind when we meditate. We need to be able to gently close our eyes and let our inner experiences unfold when we meditate. Arriving at effortlessness combined with a steady and comfortable posture prepares us to plunge into meditation. That is why the first of the 4 core practices of Heartfulness is Relaxation. It lets us relax all our efforts. The Heartfulness Relaxation is derived from Patanjali’s Yoga sutras, with some improvements. When we begin, we focus first on the omnipresent energy, especially the healing energy emanating from Mother Earth. Then we imbibe that healing energy as it moves upwards through our feet, allowing each organ to relax, each muscle to relax, each joint to relax. We proceed from the toes all the way up to the top of the head. And during this process, the Heartfulness trainer who gives the relaxation instructions will also connecthimself or herself with the Source. When you experience this, you are touched by both the healing energy ascending from Mother Earth and the energy descending from cosmic realms, doubly intensifying the relaxation process. You imbibe those energies and when you then conduct similar relaxation,you are able to create that same impact of relaxation. 9 You can narrate the instructions for others or you can do them for yourself. The process isvery simple and very gentle. If you are not able to remember all the steps, and somehow skip one, there is no need to worry. The main idea is to relax yourself completely, to the extent of dissolving yourself and thenbringing your attention ultimately to the heart, where you can intensely feel your own Centre. That is the goal of Relaxation. You can practice Relaxation on your own every day, you can ask to be guided in the processby a trainer, or you can listen to an audio on www.heartfulness.org. Once you have learnt the steps, you can easily guide others in Relaxation. 10  Here are the steps for Relaxation: Sit comfortably and close your eyes very softly and very gently. Let’s begin with the toes. Wiggle your toes. Now feel them relax. Feel the healing energy of Mother Earth move up your feet and ankles. Then up to your knees relaxing your lower legs. Now feel the healing energy move up your legs.. relaxing the. Relax your thighs. Now, relax your hips…stomach…and waist Relax your back. From the top to the bottom, the entire back is relaxed. Relax your chest.. and shoulders simply melting away. Relax your upper arms. Relax each muscle in your forearms.. your hands..right up to your fingertips Relax your neck muscles. Move your awareness up to your face. Relax your jaw..mouth..nose..eyes..earlobes..facial muscles..forehead..all the way to the top of your head. Feel that your whole body is completely relaxed. Scan your entire system from top to toe, and if there is any part of your body that is still tense, painful or unwell, spend some more time immersing it in the healing energy of Mother Earth. When you are ready, move your attention to your heart. Rest there for a little while. Feel immersed in the love and light in your heart. Remain still and quiet, and slowly become absorbed in yourself. Remain absorbed for as along as you want, until you feel ready to come out. Note your Observation: After relaxation, observe how you felt. You can write the same in your journal 11  The Three Bodies Learning Outcome 1. What evolves? 2. 3 bodies in Mineral, plants, animals and humans 3. 3 Gunas in Humans and level of consciousness in each 4. What is Transmission? 5. Practical: Guided Meditation What do we really understand by Evolution? Most people will say it is about change. But whatevolves in human evolution? Let us understand this with the concept of the 3 bodies that make up all life forms including humanbeings. We have a physical body, made of flesh and blood that is the most solid part of us. While it changes a little bit, according to how we live our lives, it doesn’t change much. Physical evolution happens over longer periods than one lifetime, so we don’t expect our physical body to evolve in this life. Thephysical body is associated with matter. We also have a subtle body, also known as the astral or mental body, that is associated with energy and vibration. This is what we call the heart and mind. The third body we have is our causal body, the cause of our existence, which is also known as the soul. The causal body is associated with the absolute state of nothingness, the substratum of existence. This causal body is pure, unchanging and immutable, so it is does not need to evolve. 12  (Image source: Heartfulness magazine) With the physical and the causal bodies, we cannot expect to find evolutionary changes. When we want to change our thinking and our patterns of behavior, during any process of self- development,be it psychological or spiritual, what evolves or transforms is the middle layer, the subtle body. Spiritual destiny has everything to do with the purification of the subtle body by removing the layersthat surround it. In the mineral kingdom, all three bodies are so closely tied together that it is difficult to separate them; they don’t have much freedom. To the extent to which they can free themselves vibrationally,they have different qualities, and we give them names like Gold, Lead, Osmium, etc. In the plant kingdom, the three bodies are a little looser. Look at a tree. How do you know it has a subtle body that responds? Have you seen flowers that open up when the sun comes? How do they know? They respond so nicely, turning as the sun moves. There is also a plant called Lajvanti, and when you touch it the leaves fold in. When there is a breeze, or even a storm, the leaves and branches of trees dance, but the moment someone tries to cut the branch of a tree, it becomes agitated. You can feel it. In plants, the subtle body and the causal body are very tightly tied together,and the subtle body cannot express much. In animals, there is a still greater separation, and in human beings all the three bodies are labile or loosely connected. 13 Among different human beings, there are also differences in separation. The three gunas in vedic philosophy – tamasic, rajasic and sattvik – are based on how loosely or how strongly the bodies areconnected In a sattvik person, the subtle body can move around, whereas a tamasic person is more stone- like. One person can think of something somewhere else, but another person with limited mental capacity may not grasp what is happening around them. Even if you tell them about it, their mind cannot reach there. Sometimes, when we communicate, certain concepts are not understood by theother person because of the subtle body’s inability to grasp them. So, at the level of the subtle body, we can choose to evolve and go beyond the animal level ofexistence to the human level to the divine level, by expanding our field of consciousness. 14 PRACTICAL II – MEDITATION 15 # 2 Core Practice: Meditation One we are able to relax, we can then meditate, which is the second of the Heartfulness practices. Meditation is often defined as thinking about one thing continuously, but we oftenget stuck with this definition and lose sight of the real purpose of meditation. Meditation reveals the true nature of the object upon which we are meditating. Such revelation comesnot as a thought but as a feeling. Therefore, meditation is a process in which we shift from thinking to feeling; from thinking about the Divine to feeling the Divine Presence. It is a journey from the complexity of the mind to the simplicity of the heart. It is for thisreason that many methods of meditation involve the heart. In fact, most of us already know how to meditate. For a small child the object of meditation could be a toy for a birthday or a group of ants in the garden; for an adult it could be wealth,power, success, a loving relationship, or a higher purpose. When we focus our attention upon one thing, it is meditation. So, it is the object of meditation that needs to be appropriate for the goal we want to attain, as the universal adage about meditation tells us: we become the object of our meditation, as a result of the power of our own thought. Everything starts with a thought. In Heartfulness Meditation that thought is ‘The source ofdivine light already present within my heart is drawing me inwards.’ But it does not end with that thought, which is just a doorway into a vast inner universe. We are used to having so many thoughts whizzing around in our minds. We are certainly notused to thinking only about one thing, so when we start meditating, we are often disappointed by the number of thoughts that appear in our mind as we sit in silence. It is natural and, in fact, it is expected that different thoughts will arise. In 16 Heartfulness meditation, we do not repress thoughts, feelings and emotions. Left inside they build up likethe pressure inside a pressure cooker, or they lay dormant waiting for an opportunity to germinate. They are better out than in. We want them to leave, and as they leave, we often become aware of their presence. When that happens, we learn to ignore them as the mind lets them go. So, the idea is not to fight with them, but simply remind ourselves that we aremeditating. But even Heartfulness Meditation will become like any other type of meditation without Transmission or pranahuti. Transmission is the active catalyst for transformation. So, it is wise to approach Heartfulness as a scientist; first meditate without Transmission, then meditate with Transmission, and compare the two experiences. What is Transmission? Transmission is the specialty of Heartfulness Meditation. It removes inner complexities or knots in the energy field so that the spiritual centers or chakras are cleaned or illuminated. Transmission is the original, cosmic energy or divine essence flowing from the Guide into thehearts of seekers, much like a mother’s love flows naturally to her children for their growth and sustenance. Meditation with Transmission helps us to transcend from one level to another level, to soarhigher into super consciousness and dive deeper, cleaning the subconscious depths of the mind. That is its primary role. To experience meditation with transmission, you will need to take a meditation session froma Heartfulness trainer. Once you complete 3 introductory sessions, you will be enabled to receive transmission when you meditate on your own. Here are the steps of Heartfulness meditation. You may download Heartsapp to connect to atrainer or visit Heartspots. (link mentioned earlier) 17  Sit comfortably, close your eyes softly and gently, and relax Turn your attention inwards and have the thought that the source of divine light already present in your heart is attracting you from within. Do this in a gentle and natural way. There is no need to concentrate. If you find your awareness drifting to other thoughts, gently come back to the idea of light into your heart. Let your awareness rest in your heart. Feel yourself melting into your heart. It is all right if you relax into a deeper state beyond awareness Stay in meditation until you feel it completed. Let it be soft, as no force is needed during meditation. Meditate like this for fifteen to twenty minutes to begin with and then, over a few days, weeks or months slowly increasethis period up to one hour. After completing meditation, sit for five minutes so that you can observe and savour the condition you feel within. Each time it is a unique condition, a unique gift. Hold onto it and cultivate that state. Slowly get up from your position, carrying that condition with you, as ithas become part of you. Note your Observation: It is useful to spend a few minutes scanning our system after meditation, to observe how wefeel and what happened inside. Then we write the observations in a journal. For example – ‘Experienced nothing today’, or ‘My mind was too busy with thoughts to meditate properly’.Simply write whatever happens, as a scientist would, and you will also start to notice cycles in your interest in the practice, in your ability to observe within, in your sensitivity to describe different states, and in your moods. You will notice different types of experiences. 18  The Subtle Body – its functions and evolution Learning Outcome 1. Functions of subtle body 2. Evolution of Chit, Manas, Buddhi and Ahankar 3. What are Impressions? 4. Practical : Guided Cleaning and Meditation The subtle body is a vibrational field; the heart-mind field. Depending on how we manage this field, it can either be turbulent and complex, like a roaring ocean during a storm, or, at the other extreme,it can be like a still pond where even a feather landing on the surface creates ripples. This is where aspiritual practice has a vital role to play, as it gives us the techniques to regulate, purify and simplify this field, bringing clarity, stillness and peace. In yogic philosophy the heart is known as the field of action for the mind. This is a vast topic. Let’s start to explore what this means. There are four main functions of the subtle body within this vibrational field – 1. consciousness (chit), 2. thinking and feeling (manas), 3. intellect (buddhi) and 4. ego (ahankar). They work in an interactive way together to make up what we know as the mind. Of these four, consciousness is our focus here. The other three have their existence in consciousness. Consciousness is as good as a canvas to a painter, and within consciousness the play of the otherthree bodies is orchestrated daily. How do we actively allow our consciousness to expand and evolve? It is not enough just to wish it so. We need to understand how a spiritual practice contributes towards this evolution by creating the conditions for stilling the mind progressively at deeper and deeper levels and opening up the inner universe. At a physical level, when I want to strengthen my body muscles, I must exercise my body. Similarly, for the mind to evolve so that consciousness can expand, I must use what belongs to that subtle plane of existence. First, it is important to understand that the evolution of consciousness has nothing to do with theacquisition of knowledge. Second, consciousness in itself will not expand or evolve without the help of buddhi, manas andahankar to free it. Intellect has to evolve to help expand consciousness and ego must evolve, contributing to the evolution of consciousness. 19  (Image Source : Video Talks on Truth Eternal series by Kamlesh D Patel) Meditation : What does meditation have to do with this? We meditate to regulate our minds. An unregulated mind is pulled by wishes and desires, fears and habits, in many different directions. Themind becomes weak as it scatters in many different channels. In contrast, a regulated mind brings focus, and promotes wellbeing. Unless and until we meditate properly, and unless and until we regulate our minds properly, our consciousness will not evolve. Manas, buddhi and ahankar are all refined and developed through meditation, especially manas as we learn to simplify our thinking process from many channels to one channel, then deepen it to feeling. Thus the habit of ‘feeling’ isslowly cultivated from ‘thinking’. Developing the meditative state further : Holding and nurturing the condition received in meditation throughout the day is a by- product of good meditation, and helps us regulate and deepen the mind to an even higher level. When we are in this state of constant awareness or remembrance of the inner state, we do not allow our canvas to be spoilt, so consciousness remainsafresh. The canvas remains clean and is not destroyed by the multifarious impressions we form. Imagine the vibrational field of the heart and mind having a spectrum of consciousness spanning the subconscious, conscious and superconscious states. Swami Vivekananda once said, “Consciousness is a mere film between two oceans, the subconscious and the superconscious.” Or you can imagine thesubconscious as being like the ocean, consciousness like the surface of the land, and superconsciousness like the sky going out into the universe. As we evolve, our consciousness expands into both the subconscious and superconscious realms, traveling through the vast infinity ofthe human potential. Another way of saying this is that we go deeper and deeper into the vastness of the heart, from our starting point at the surface. Buddhi and Prayer: In this process of diving deeper, the intellect, buddhi, becomes more and moreheart-based. Intuition and inspiration develop, and buddhi becomes fine-tuned, like a sensitive antenna picking up the signals of the heart. Intellect evolves into a state of wisdom. 20 Often, we thinkof a wise person as someone who makes wise choices, but here we go further into a different dimension where choice is no longer required, as the heart’s wisdom is pure and correct. There is a big difference between an intellectual person and a wise person, and here the spiritual practice of prayer helps us to move from mere intellect to wisdom. Prayer takes us into the heart, connecting usto the Source, where we are able to let go of any mistakes we have made, deciding not to make the same mistakes again. Is this not wisdom? Whereas if we succumb to making foolish mistakes day after day, hour after hour, we are not becoming wiser. We become wiser when we wish to change from the bottom of our hearts and ask for help to do so. When we live with this attitude every moment, wisdom flourishes. Wisdom is to utilize all our faculties at their best. Wisdom is to have themaximum output with the minimum input. With minimum action we have the maximum result. Onlywith a meditative mind, only through meditative acts in our day-to-day life, can we expect to have such good results. Ahankar : The third aspect of the subtle body is ego, ahankar. Ego plays a vital role in whether or notexpansion or evolution of consciousness occurs. Ego is often seen as the bad guy by spiritual practitioners of all traditions, but ego is also essential for our evolution. It is the active function of the mind – the doing, thinking function – and we need it in every aspect of daily life, even to have the craving to evolve. It gives us our identity. It is the activating or initiating force. If it is used wisely, it serves us well, like any other resource, but it is often misused, and this is what we commonly refer to as being egotistical. When ego is used for selfish purpose, we become arrogant and self- important, whereas if we constantly refine the ego, consciousness develops very rapidly. What does it mean to refine the ego? The more humility we have, the less the egotistical proliferations. All greatspiritual teachers have given so much importance to this aspect of character formation. They have valued this quality so highly that humility at any cost must be maintained, whether towards a child, apoor person or a stranger. The philosophy here is that there is nothing wrong in thinking yourself to be great, but always think the other person in front of you is greater. Ego can be like a black hole. It can have the greatest gravitational pull upon our consciousness. It willnot allow consciousness to expand. Just as the Earth’s gravitational pull does not allow us to fall into infinite space, likewise our ego can hold consciousness to its core. An example of this is a very narcissistic person, who is undergoing a devolutionary process where consciousness contracts in on itself to its core, and can become like a stone. In contrast, by transcending the relationship with the ego by refining it, becoming more and more humble, consciousness can expand infinitely. Ego manifests in many ways. For example, in a music concert, when I am happily playing my flute as a performer, it gives so much joy and the audience reciprocates accordingly. But as an artist, I will not be happy unless I surpass my previous performances all the time. The manifested ego makes me perform well. But to think that no one can play the flute better than myself is not a welcome manifestation of ego. Ego can be our best friend in helping us outperform our own past records. Manas : The fourth function of the subtle body is manas, which is the function of contemplation. During meditation, the first step is to bring the mind from many and varied thoughts to one thought,for example in Heartfulness it is the source of Divine Light in the heart. But it is not necessary that allthroughout the meditation this thought should haunt us. The thought should leave at some point so that the object of thought can be felt in the heart. If 21 all you do is think this one thought throughout the meditation, you will have a headache and consciousness will not expand. This initial thought is just the springboard, to take us deeper so that we dissolve in the feeling of the presence of the Divine Light. You have to feel that presence and while you are feeling that presence slowly you disappear, and even feeling is gone. The ego is gone; you are not even there to experience it. So as manas evolves through a meditation practice, feeling develops, and eventually we go beyond feelingto a state of being, then to a state of becoming, and finally unbecoming to merge into the Absolute state of existence. Chit : So buddhi, manas and ahankar evolve through spiritual practice, and with this the subtle bodybecomes lighter, purer and simpler, like the still pond with minimal ripples. With this, consciousness is able to expand and evolve. What do we then do with this expanded consciousness we receive? Let’s say I have a particular state of mind, and I am aware that the condition is so good. After meditation, I go off to work. It is not enough just to hold that condition; I must be able to radiate that condition wilfully, consciously, and with the confidence that wherever I go it will spread its fragrance on its own. So after meditation think for a while that, “The condition which is within me isalso outside me. Everything around me is absorbed in a similar state. When I look at people, or talk to them, or listen to them, or I am silent, let that condition spread everywhere.” Let consciousness expand wherever it can go. Purifying and Simplifying the Subtle Body through Cleaning: For this to happen, the heart-mindfield has to be purified, otherwise it is like expecting to see the bottom of a lake through muddy, turbulent water. There is no clarity in a turbulent mind. The spiritual practice of cleaning past impressions is therefore also necessary for consciousness to evolve. Students may watch a simple explanation of this chapter by Heartfulness Guide, Kamlesh D Patel on this link: Expanding the Consciousness and dissolving the ego https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8PnrQOrTkc 22 PRACTICAL III Cleaning practice: Guided cleaning followed by meditation # 3 Core Practice: Cleaning One of the problems we all face while meditating is the distraction caused by our own thoughts and feelings. We need something to clear our field of consciousness, creating stillness in the mind. In Heartfulness we have a practice of mental detoxification called Cleaning. It helps us to dive deeper into meditation, removing the impurities, complexities and emotional heaviness that accumulate during the day in our minds. We feel lighter and more carefree. These complexities and impurities accumulate as a result of repeated patterns of feeling, emotion and thought which, in turn, lead to repetitive actions. These actions become habits that impress upon our minds, creating fixed patterns of behavior that become more fixed with time, forming impressions in our subtle body. But in addition to impressions formed by our thoughts and actions, we also form impressions by our inactions, creating more guilt. These are the things that we should do butdon’t, and they haunt us all our lives. For example, we may have hurt someone very dear to us without having ever said sorry. Impressions like that are difficult to remove. We must tackle our problems at the deepest level- the subconscious level. That is where theroot of our problems lies. However, subconscious means “beneath consciousness”. That means that the subconscious is largely inaccessible to conscious manipulation. We can change deliberate action- but subconscious action? it is subliminal. It occurs beneath the scope of our awareness. When we are barely even aware of something, how can we possibly change it? This is the biggest hurdle that we face when trying to work upon ourselves. 23 One way to understand the interaction between the subconscious mind and our conscious thoughts is by comparing it to a garden. A conscious thought is like a seed, sown into the fertile ground of the subconscious. that seed then germinates in the subconscious. Eventually, it blossoms into our conscious awareness and becomes an enduring pattern of similar thoughts. Just as a single seed produces a tree from which thousands of new seeds are grown, a single thought can grow into a tendency of thinking, through which we producethousands of new thoughts- seeds. You can see how our consciousness can turn into a complex jungle. The thought- seeds that have already been planted in the subconscious are called as impressions. It is the thought’s emotional content that gets planted- not the thought itself. The cleaning method hits at the very root, it is not about understanding or consciously re- programming our habits of thinking and behavior. Instead, it works directly upon the subconscious. It is like weeding a garden. Whenever we pull up weeds, we must be sure topull them out by their roots. If their roots remain in the ground, the weeds will continue tosprout, over and over again. Similarly, whatever we have already planted in the subconscious will continue to sprout in the form of thoughts and emotions. Unless we dealwith those roots, our attempt to transformation often leads to frustration. How and when to do cleaning? We do the practice of Heartfulness Cleaning at the end of the working day, ideally before sunset, refreshing ourselves and creating a vacuum within, purifying our system of its accumulated heaviness. It is to be done for 15 to 20 minutes (never more than 30 minutes).Although it is simple, there are a number of steps to Cleaning, so in the beginning it is betterto practise them in sequence , as follows: 24  Sit in a comfortable position with the intention to remove all the impressions accumulated during the day. Close your eyes and feel relaxed. Imagine all the complexities and impurities are leaving your entire system. They are going out from your back, from the top of your head to your tailbone. Feel they are leaving your system as smoke. Remain alert during the entire process, like a witness to the clouds passing in the sky. After 2 to 3 minutes, when you settle down with the above process, gently accelerate this process with confidence and determination, applying your will as needed. If your attention drifts and events of the day begin to come to your mind, gently bring your focus back to the Cleaning. As the impressions are leaving from your back, you will start to feel light in your heart. Continue this process for up to ten to fifteen minutes. When you feel inner lightness, you will naturally find it easy to connect with the Source. Feel a current of purity coming from the Source and entering your system from the front. This current is flowing throughout your system, carrying away any remaining complexities and impurities. You have now returned to a simpler, purer and more balanced state. Every cell of your body is emanating simplicity, lightness and purity Doing the cleaning practice daily, purifies our consciousness, and this then has ripple effect on our whole world view, bringing clarity, understanding and wisdom. A pure consciousness is easily able to discern and make wise choices. Note your Observation: How did you feel after doing the guided cleaning? Note the same in your journal How did it feel after meditation? Did you feel any difference from the previous meditation sessions? 25 Meditation and Neuroscience Learning Outcome 1. Brainwave frequencies associated with individual consciousness 2. Movement of consciousness in the various states 3. Turiya and Turiyatit condition 4. Creating a meditative state 5. Prayerful suggestion or Sankalpa 6. Practical: Inner Connect and Meditation Scientists have been studying meditation empirically for the last 60 years, and the impact of meditation on neuroplasticity, brain health and overall well-being has been established. We have sufficient proof that meditation improves stress management, sleep management, decision-making,emotional intelligence and relationship-building. Meditation has been shown to improve individual well-being, and this in turn positively impacts communities and society in general. With the help of Transmission, Heartfulness accelerates this process of transformation by positively altering various brainwave frequencies associated with individual consciousness. These states of consciousness are experienced every day by all of us, and can also be measured with an encephalogram (EEG), whichis a test that detects electrical activity in the brain. Our brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even when we are asleep. An EEG detects changes in brain activity. Brainwaves keep changing all the time based on how fast we are thinking. The faster the thinking, the more activity in the mind, and the higher the frequency of brainwaves. For example, when children have never-ending questions, the frequency can be very high. Here is a common categorization of the different types of brainwaves: 1. The alert, wakeful states are characterized by brainwaves of higher frequencies: 26  Gamma waves, 31-120 Hertz, occur with hyper brain activity such as learning and problem solving. 2. Beta waves, 13-30 Hertz, occur when we are active in conversation and other activities. 3. Alpha waves, 8-12 Hertz, occur when we are relaxed, contemplative, absorbed in a beautifulpiece of music or when we are starting to meditate. 4. The dream state is characterized by Theta waves, 4-7 Hertz, and occurs when we are drowsyand drifting into sleep and dreams, as well as in deep subconscious states of meditation. 5. The deep sleep state is characterized by Delta waves, 0.5-3 Hertz and also in the deepeststates of meditation. In the waking states, consciousness moves outward in search of knowledge, whereas when the brainwave frequencies slow down, it indicates that we are turning inwards and moving into deeper states of consciousness. The consciousness of the dream state is between the waking and deep sleep state. It is related to the inner world, the inner realms of the mind. Inthe deep sleep state, consciousness gravitates towards its Source, the soul. In research studies, meditators experience Delta frequencies, normally found during deep sleep, the dream-like Theta frequencies, the relaxed Alpha states, and high- frequency Gamma brainwaves, in patterns not normally associated with wakeful states. In fact, for yogis who meditate regularly, Gamma oscillations are found to be much more common and significantly greater in amplitude than those who do not. So the spectrum of brainwave frequencies expands in both directions as a result of meditation. Following states of consciousness are experienced by all of us, and can be measured with an EEG machine: State Brainwave Associated with Movement of frequencies consciousness 1. Alert / Gamma waves Learning and problem Consciousness A Wakeful solving moves outward in state (31-120 Hz) search of knowledge 2. Alert/ Beta waves Active in conversation Consciousness Wakeful and other activities moves outward for state (13-30 Hz) doing activities 3. Relaxed state Alpha waves - Relaxed, Consciousness starts - contemplative, moving inward and (8-12 Hz) - absorbed in deeper beautiful music - when we start to meditate 27  4. Dream like Theta waves Drowsy and drifting Consciousness in U state into sleep and dream between waking and (4 -7 Hz) sleeping 5. Deep sleep Delta waves Deep sleep state Consciousness M state / gravitates towards Sushupti (0.5 to 3 Hz) the soul Turiya state – described by our Yogis encompasses the full range of the spectrum, even that of deep sleep or Sushupti, indicated by Delta waves, although the person meditating is simultaneously completely aware. Yogis and monks crave for this state with all their might, and sometimes meditatefor thousands of hours, performing penances and practices in order to reach it. With the help of Yogic transmission, it becomes quite easy to experience the Turiya state. Even if youhave never ever meditated in your life, when you are exposed to Heartfulness meditation with transmission, your consciousness awakens at a different level so that you expand into the Turiya condition. While your body is fully relaxed, your mind perceives things. You are not sleeping, but youare in such a relaxed state that is as rejuvenating as deep sleep. That is the true Turiya condition. And then we learn how to take this condition out into daily life with eyes open. We transcend Turiya into the Turiyatit state. The Turiya state is available only when we are in meditation, whereas theTuriyatit state emerges when we carry that deep meditative state within us all the time. It encompasses all the states: A, U, M and the soundless sound, we transcend: From A, the external wakeful state, to U, the inner dream like state, to M, the deep sleep state of Sushupti, to the soundless silence of Turiya state, and, finally, to the Turiyatit condition. So, while it is good to be actively meditating regularly, it is even better to be in a meditative state.We are actively meditating every morning and meditatively active all the time. We actually don’t have to do much except close our eyes and be receptive. Creating a meditative state: In every meditation there is something unique that is bestowed upon us. This is how we receive spiritual nourishment or earn spiritual wealth. How do we preserve the new condition that has beengifted to us? The first step is to become sensitive enough to know that we are being given spiritual nourishment,and then to make efforts to retain it, preserve it and let it grow. Heartfulness Guide, Daaji calls it acquire, enliven, imbibe, become one with it, and eventually reach a state of union, or AEIOU. We secure it, so it becomes one with us. We merge with it. It requires only five minutes after meditation to observe ourselves within, to try to recognize and become one with our condition, savor it, enliven it and make it ours. Then it has a chance 28 to grow. When we sharpen a knife, we do so to cut vegetables. When we sharpen our consciousness, it is to be used during the daytime. It helps to know how sharp our consciousness is. During morning meditation, we achieve a certain level of consciousness. When we hold on to it and carry on with ourday-to-day activities, we retain a full grip over the morning condition with open eyes. Take the example of freshly laid concrete; it is better not to walk on it until it has settled properly. Ifwe walk on it then the concrete is spoilt forever. Like concrete, our inner condition also has to settlein our heart, and it needs attention. Observe how it settles inside you, feel how it drenches your system, and then, when you are confident that you can observe and hold on to it even with your open eyes, confidently get up and carry on with your day. The condition you receive in meditation is much finer and subtler than concrete. Mere carelessnesscan make it disappear. So be tender and careful with it. Try to remain in that meditative state with your open eyes. Centre yourself in your heart, be perceptive and try to understand things with yourheart. When you observe things around you, keep your attention in the heart. Let your inner radar open up. If you want to become very discerning this is the habit to cultivate. A mind that is not balanced loses its radar, its direction. A pure mind finds its direction within because it is centered. A settled mind finds its own center. So, meditation ultimately brings you to yourcenter and makes it palpable. You then have inner guidance all the time, and it speaks to you, especially about wrong things. About truth it may not speak at all, because truth is its nature. Practical IV Guided Inner Connect followed by meditation # 4 Core Practice: Inner Connect The fourth main practice of Heartfulness is a specific prayer that we offer twice per day. We offer three simple statements that define our human condition. The words remind us of our spiritual goal, the obstacles we face on the journey, and what helps us to reach there. There is no stated expectation in this Prayer, but there is still the feeling of differential, that we are not yet ‘up to that stage’, that there is an infinite journey ahead of us, and that we must continually refine andremove our wishes if there is a hope to experience finer and finer states. While offering this Prayer, we honor the present moment in our journey as well as acknowledging that the journey must continue. 29 The Heartfulness Prayer is done at bedtime for five to ten minutes, to help us connect with our Source before sleep. It is also done for a few minutes before meditating in the morning as a way ofre-setting that connection. By beginning and ending the day this way, a connection is established with the Source throughout the day and night. And, overtime, self- mastery develops through this inner connection. 30  Sit in a comfortable position, gently close your eyes and relax. With a feeling of humility and love, silently and slowly let these words resonate within the space in your heart. You can repeat them a couple of times, pausing in between. O Master! Thou art the real goal of human life. We are yet but slaves of wishes putting bar to our advancement. Thou art the only God and Power to bring us up to that stage. Meditate for 5 to 10 minutes over the true sense of the words and try to get lost in them. Let the feeling behind the words come to you. Allow yourself to melt into this prayerful feeling. Note your Observation: How did it feel after Guided Prayer and meditation? Did you feel any difference from the previousmeditation sessions? What is the result of prayer? Two vital things come together in the act of prayer, and when they combine, they can create thepotential for lasting change and real growth. This is one of Nature’s open secret. On the one hand, prayer connects you with your highest Self through the heart, to dive so deep thatyou connect with the Source of everything. On the other hand, it uses the power of thought or suggestion to bring about change, and this we call sankalpa in Yoga. Sankalpa works better than orders or instructions, because it is so potent. The English translation forsankalpa is usually ‘suggestion’, although it is not an adequate translation. A suggestion is a type of thought – one in which an idea is put forward for change, usually with some idea of improvement or vision. So a prayerful suggestion is a very subtle suggestion that resonates in a pure, open, loving heart connected to the Divine. These two processes of connecting and sankalpa combine like elements in a chemical reaction tocreate a dynamic state of communion with our inner essence. In prayer we are deep within the heart, so the thought or feeling we offer to our Higher Self is not just a thought, a theoretical or intellectual thing. It resonates across the canvas of our consciousnessthrough our heart, into the cosmic field or quantum field. The effect is so potent. It is no longer fromour own individual level. It becomes a key to unlock evolution, to bring about transformation. Videos to watch: 1. Mysteries of the Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyfm5_LLxow 31  Expansion of Consciousness and its Benefits Learning Outcome 1. What is the purpose of expansion/ evolution of Consciousness and why one should beinterested in the same? 2. Benefits of the same a. Importance of Meditation for expanding consciousness and benefits from meditation b. Individual evolution to collective evolution c. Direct perception d. Utilizing human potential to the fullest e. Inner transformation 3. Practical: Guided Relaxation and Meditation We have been talking so much about the evolution of consciousness, but what is the purpose of allthis? Why should we be so interested in this field of evolution of the mind? Why do we need to purify our consciousness and heart? There is a growing wellness industry that has grown up around the search for peace, inner calm andbetter sleep. This in itself is a good indicator that we are not satisfied with the state of our minds. We are not happy. During the last 50 years, there have been so many scientific and medical studies on the effects of relaxation and meditation on the physiology and psychology of human beings, citing meditation asreducing blood pressure, depression and anxiety, and positively affecting heart rate, oxygen consumption, immunity, sleep patterns, and the natural functioning of the brain. Current medical research on meditation goes one step further, using the latest neuroimaging technology and genomic methodology to study how the practices of Yoga and meditation affect genes and brain activity in chronically stressed people, and how these techniques can switch geneson and off that are linked to stress and immunity. Scientists are starting to realize what yogis have known for thousands of years: that meditation can bring about stillness and balance in the mind and the physiology and psychology of the human being are altered remarkably. So it is not surprising that today meditation has become mainstream, and offered by corporates totheir employees all around the world. Yoga and exercise classes everywhere finish with a few minutes of relaxation or meditation, and we find blogs and books on the bestseller lists about meditation and happiness. In the last 150 years, we have been undergoing an even greater transformation in our understanding of this evolution. The meditation practices of Yoga used to focus on an individual’s evolution to the highest pinnacle of human existence, whereas now the focus is on our collective evolution. This is the field of the heart, where consciousness expands across its 32 full spectrum of existence. When we sit in meditation and feel our consciousness expanding into unknown dimensions, observe our intellect evolve into intelligence and then into wisdom, our thinking transform into feeling, our ego subdue and become so humble and refined, and our skills improve, is it only for our own growth and transformation? No, the effect touches everyone and everything with which we are connected. We do not have to actively create this, as it happens without our conscious participation. That is how we change the outside environment. It happens automatically. Wherever the rose goes, the fragrance goes. Wherever I go, whatever I carry goes with me. We just have to let things happen without interfering in the process. This connection will automatically happen once we start purifying ourselves. We will then feel that what we create within ourselves merges with the collective feeling, and we will become part of the entire scheme of things. So our preparation has a great effect, a greatecho into the future. The egregore that we prepare, the field that we prepare, will have its impact. Whatever the future has in store for us, we can accelerate the process by meditating regularly andwell, wherever we are, together or alone. It is a wonderful time to be alive. The purpose of life is to facilitate expansion of available consciousness to its fullest potential. This expansion eventually takes us to a state of lightness and joy, where the subtle body is pure, simple and refined, where there is no longer any separation between the heart and the mind – they are one, with the heart as the field of action for the mind and vice versa. This integrated, holistic state of being is known as Yoga. All the practices of Yoga are designed to bring about this state of oneness, or unity with the Source of all existence. In mystical or religious terms, this Source of all existence is given the name God or divinity. In science, it is called the absolute, ultimate reality or original state of existence. It is the Base on which everything exists, the substratum of the existence of the universe. Yoga unites the two fields of human thought, as Yoga deals with pure knowledge. Yogis of high caliber are able to do this based on their direct experience and have described God in a scientific way. This direct perception is possible because of the expansion of consciousness that comes from yogic practice. For example, in physics, scientists speak of the space-time continuum, and yogis describe the same thing – the interplay of akasha and avakasha, the Sanskrit words meaning space and time. The great yogi of the 20th century, Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur had the ability to perceive suchknowledge directly. It was because of his highly evolved consciousness. He could just as easily penetrate matter and describe in detail the internal structure of an atom without any study of physics. Likewise, the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was able to perceive pure mathematical functions in nature through direct perception, which were later proved by western empirical methods. This capacity for direct perception can be developed by the three main yogic practices which werecovered earlier. 1. The first is the removal of all of the complexities or impressions that we have accumulated by Yogic Cleaning, which is supported by Yogic Transmission. As a result, perception is purified. It is like looking through a still, clear pond to the 33  substratum below instead of trying to see through murky turbulent water. There is clarity and discernment as a result of purifying the subtle body of all its complexities. The second process is the refinement of the functions of the subtle body – intellect, thinking and ego – so that consciousness can expandand evolve. Intellect matures to wisdom, thinking deepens to feeling and beyond, and ego lets go of its focus on ‘I’ to exist for the good of all. 2. The second process is the refinement of the functions of the subtle body – intellect, thinkingand ego – so that consciousness can expand and evolve. Intellect matures to wisdom, thinking deepens to feeling and beyond, and ego lets go of its focus on ‘I’ to exist for the good of all. These changes happen through meditation with Yogic Transmission. Mathematically: Expansion of consciousness is directly proportional to the refinement of ego, intellect and mind. The heavier the burden of ego, the lesser the chance forconsciousness to expand. 3. The third process is the connection of consciousness with the Source through the heart. This is a sign of expanding wisdom and is activated like a switch through the practice of prayer. Over time, by doing these three simple daily practices of meditation in the morning, cleaning in the evening, and prayer at bedtime, our inner capacities are awakened, including intuition from the subconscious and inspiration from the superconscious. We realize our true potential. Mainstream science today recognizes how little of our human potential we utilize but has notbeen able to give us the tools for increasing that capacity. It is the scientists of the inner universe, the great saints, yogis and mystics of the world, who have shown us how to do this. Isn’t it interesting that these great beings have often described as unscientific! Actually, the samehas also been true in the world of the science of matter. Galileo Galilei is today considered to bethe father of observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the father of the scientific method, and even the father of science. Yet when he was alive, he was put under house arrest for the last thirty years of his life for stating that the Earth was not the center of the universe. It is hard to believe today, but in the early 17th century he was proclaimed a heretic for his astronomical discoveries! Those who have been at the forefront of knowledge have often challenged the status quo. Thankfully, science is now starting to validate what yogis of caliber have long known as a result of expanded consciousness. When we ponder over the great scientific discoveries and yogic findings, the source of such research is always found in the overall relaxed state of the individuals. Let us recall the great discoveries of the Archimedes Principle, the fundamental principle of gravitation by Sir Isaac Newton, radioactivity by Madame Curie, the discovery of the structure of the benzene molecule and the double helix structure of DNA. Spiritual findings and scientific findings share the same source. They are not at all opposed or different in their approach. When we really go into them, so many spiritual practiceswill reveal their true scientific basis. It is only when we do not understand their significance that we become skeptics, which is unfortunate. It would be wonderful to peep into the scientific basis behind so many religious rituals which have found their place in the daily routines of many cultures. In earlier times, such expanded consciousness was only 34  the domain of those yogis and mystics who renounced everyday life, but today it is available to all through the practice of Heartfulness. And it brings qualitative changes to our lives. Our available consciousness expands from: selfishness to selflessness, mindful reactiveness to heartful responsiveness, passion to compassion, anger to love, egotism to a higher identity, moment to moment to timelessness, contraction to expansion, restlessness to peace, imbalance to balance, darkness to light, heaviness to lightness, grossness to subtlety, complexity to simplicity, impurity to purity, desire to desirelessness, attachment to non-attachment, thinking to feeling, feeling to experience, experience to being, being to non-being, ‘I, me and mine’ to ‘we, us and ours’, intellectualizing to wisdom, everything that we have to everything that there is: LOVE, mundane consciousness to divine consciousness, freeing us even from freedom. Benefits from Heartfulness Meditation according to Research Studies TerraBlue XT has been studying the effects of Heartfulness practices on the Autonomic Nervous System of trained practitioners, as well as on newcomers to the practices, for the last few years,using the company’s wearable medical detection device. Here are some of the findings: “Heartfulness Meditation has a balancing effect on the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Our studies on experienced practitioners have shown that Heartfulness practices enable them to exert great control over their ANS, leading to a better ability to manage stress and maintain homeostasis, that is, the state of balance, for greater lengths of time. “The ANS is ‘a component ofthe peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. It contains three anatomically distinct divisions: sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric.’ “Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) leads to a state of overall elevated activity and attention, known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. The SNS is known to be the inducer of stress response in the human system. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), on the other hand, promotes the ‘rest and digest’ processes, helping restore the body to a state of calm. “Heartfulness Meditation has been shown toincrease the parasympathetic tone in practitioners and decrease sympathetic activation, leading to sustained levels of calmness. “ Our combined study of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) provided useful insights about the physical and emotional states of individuals, especially in respect to their ANS. 1 Waxenbaum, J.A. & M. Varacallo, 2019. Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System. Treasure Island, FL, USA & StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/. “Some of the results are given here: 1. It takes between 2 to 5 minutes for an experienced practitioner to attain a state of calmness. Wehave seen newcomers also attain such states quickly, but they are not able to hold the states 35 for longer durations, whereas the practitioners can. 2. A calming state of body and mind can be induced via meditative practices like Heartfulness Meditation. All participating trainers and meditators in one study showed increased heart rate variability and decreased mental excitability, as indicated by their decrease in skin conductance response (SCR), an important component of electrodermal activity (EDA). The SCR is proportionallyrelated to the number of sweat glands that are activated, meaning in essence that the more emotionally aroused an individual is the more the SCR amount is increased. It can also be inferred that the SCR amplitude is a suitable proxy of sympathetic nervous system activity. 3. During deep meditation, experienced practitioners demonstrate a decrease in their sudomotornerve activity (SMNA). SMNA is known to reflect sympathetic activity and to provide insight into postganglionic autonomous innervation. 2 Benedek, M. & C. Kaernbach, 2010. A Continuous Measure of Phasic Electrodermal Activity. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, Vol. 190, 1: 80-91. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.04.028. 28 4. Heartfulness Meditation leads to increase in Total Power (TP) of the heart, a component of frequency domain of HRV. This indicates better physiological and emotional regulation and adaptation. 5. Transmission shows a positive impact even on newcomers. In one study, High Frequency (HF) Power of the heart in the newcomers’ group showed most statistical significance during Transmission, compared to controls. This increase in HF indicates a shift in sympatho-vagal balancetoward the parasympathetic side, implying a relaxed state of body and mind. It also led to loweringof the Low Frequency (LF) Power of the heart, indicating a decrease in stress response.” Even if you have never meditated in your life, when you are exposed to Heartfulness Meditation with Transmission, your consciousness expands so that your body becomes fully relaxed, while your mind has heightened awareness and perception. You are not sleeping, but you are so relaxed that itis as rejuvenating as deep sleep. And then you learn to take this same condition out into daily life with eyes open. The day will arrive when you will carry that deep meditative state with you all the time. Other research based studies: 1.N.K. Arya, et al., Effect of Heartfulness cleaning and meditation on heart rate variability, Indian Heart J (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ihj.2018.05.004 Heartfulness meditation reduced cortisol,C-reactive protein, BP, HR, triglycerides and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.31 2. Thimmapuram, J., et al. 2017. Effect of Heartfulness Meditation on Burnout, Emotional Wellness, and Telomere Length in Health Care Professionals. Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 7(1): 21-27 3. Amarnath, R., et al. 2017. Improving immunity through Heartfulness Meditation - A LiteratureReview. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research 8(7): 8874- 18879 36 4. Amarnath, R., et al. 2017. Improving Sleep Quality Through Heartfulness Meditation- TechnicalAspects and Benefits. International Journal of Health Sciences & Research7(5); 368 Videos to watch: 37 Practical V Guided Relaxation and Meditation Note your Observation: How did it feel after Meditation? Please note the same in your journal References: https://www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/category/collectorsedition2017/ 38 39  The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny. This is shloka from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. We think that the concepts like this which emphasizes the correlation of seed thought consistently held in our mind, which then eventually leading to the attainment of success in relation to that thought, is very new concept, to be found inthe very recent modern self-help literature viz. Law of Attraction, Power of Subconscious Mind etc. However, as you can observe from the ancient wisdom of the Upanishadic sages, they already werenot only aware about this essential truth in their own experience, but also instrumental in propagating it to the common masses. So, the wise ones of the old had this wisdom, and they lead their lives according to that wisdom. Because, once you know the correct principles of human existence, it is incumbent upon you to liveyour according to them. That’s essentially the test of your integrity. Integrity simply means you walk the talk. You do what you preach. These laws can also be called as “Laws of Life” and can be applied to bring success in multitude forms viz. good health and wellbeing, life of energy, joy and continuous happiness, meaningful relationships. Let’s go over and understand the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. #1 The Law of Pure potentiality #2 The Law of Giving #3 The Law of “Karma” OR Cause and Effect #4 The Law of Least Effort #5 The Law of Intention and Desire#6 The Law of Detachment #7 The Law of Dharma OR Purpose in Life 40 #1 The Law of Pure Potentiality “Who Am I?” Have you ever asked this question to yourself? “Who You Are?” Are you body, mind, intellect or the sum total of all this? And even if you say that I am sum total of all this, does this enquiry end here? What happens when you go in deep sleep? Then you have no awareness of body, or mind or intellect. But does that mean‘you are not’ in deep sleep? When you wake up in the morning, who says ‘I had a great sleep’. Is body saying this? No, for body was fast asleep. Is mind saying this? No, for in deep sleep, thoughts cease to exist. And mind exists only with thoughts. It means, there is something in us deeper than body, mind, and intellect which is ever witnessing everything that has happened to us, is happening to us, and will happen to us seamlessly. This is our deepest essence, our essential state of being, which is ‘pure consciousness’. The first spiritual law of success is based on this fundamental understanding that we are, in ouressential state, pure consciousness. And what is pure consciousness? Pure consciousness is pure potentiality, the field of infinite possibilities and unbounded creativity. It is pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, invincibility, simplicity, plainness, perennial joy and supreme bliss. Once we truly understand that this is what we are in our deepest core, and that our spiritual essence is pure consciousness, in that very knowing we break free from our self- imposed limitations, and we get connected to our center, and having established in our center of being, we can manifest anything that we want in life with effortless ease. The Law of Pure Potentiality is nothing but The Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is this same field of pure consciousness, pure un-manifest energy, waiting to be activated for the fulfilment of our deepest dreams and desires. This field of pure potentiality is calledones Individual Self, and collectively it is called the Universal Self. But it is the same field of energy. The more we experience our true nature, the closer we are to the field of pure potentiality. When we experience that deep down essentially our true nature is that of the Self, or the Soul, orthe Field of Un-manifest Energy, all the attributes of the Self become available to us. They are… 1. You become immune to criticism 2. You become unfearful of any challenge 3. You feel neither inferior nor superior to anyone 4. You draw support from people, situations and circumstances being in the state of grace. 5. You enjoy a great bonding with people. 41 How can we apply the Law of Pure Potentiality in our lives? If we want to enjoy all the benefits of the field of pure potentiality, then we have to have access toit. For this access, one has to make following commitments. 1. Practicing Silence Daily Make a commitment… I will practice silence daily as it is convenient to me. Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to simply ‘Be’. Itmeans periodically (on a daily basis) you withdraw from the activities of a) Speech b) Watching Television c) Listening to Music d) Reading a book “If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, it creates turbulence in your internal dialogue”. 2. Practicing Meditation Daily Make a commitment… I will spend some time practicing meditation each day. It is through meditation only that we begin to experience that field of pure silence and pure awareness within us. This field of pure silence has ‘Infinite Organizing Power’ where everything is inseparably connected with everything else. Even a faintest impulse of intention, when introduced inthis field of pure silence has the ability to manifest those intentions in reality. But the first and foremost prerequisite for this manifestation is ‘you have to experience stillness’. And this is possible only through following the daily practice of meditation. 3. Practicing Non-judgement Daily Make a commitment… Today I shall judge nothing that occurs. If you carefully observe your thoughts, most of them are simply your constant judgements about thepeople, situations, circumstances and things. We are constantly judging, evaluating, analyzing, labeling, classifying; which creates a lot of turbulence in our internal dialogues. This is the state of affairs of almost all of the humanity, everyone has become compulsive thinker. And this constant stream of thoughts literally squeezes the ‘gap’ between thoughts. Remember – The ‘gap’ between two thoughts, the silent space between thoughts is our connection to this field of pure silence, which is pure potentiality having infinite organizing power. And when weare constantly thinking, we don’t allow ourselves any opportunity to get 42 connected to this field of pure silence, the field of true power. Non-judgement will arrest this stream of thoughts, thereby creating silence in our minds. So throughout the day, whenever you catch yourself judging, remind the commitment you have made –‘Today I shall judge nothing that occurs’. Following this practice will help quieten our minds over a period of time. Through these three daily practices, silence, meditation and non-judgement, you will access the firstlaw, the Law of Pure Potentiality. Once you begin this process with determination and commitment,you can add a fourth component to this practice… 4. Regularly Spending Time in Direct Communion with Nature Spending time in nature enables you to sense the harmonious interaction of all the elements andforces of life and gives you a sense of unity with all of life. Whether it be a stream, a forest, a mountain, a lake, or the seashore, that connection with nature’s intelligence will also help you access the field of pure potentiality. We must learn to get in touch with the innermost essence of our being. This true essence is beyondthe ego. It is fearless; it is free; it is immune to criticism; it does not fear any challenge. It is beneathno one, superior to no one, and full of magic, mystery and enchantment. As you gain more and more access to your true nature, you will also spontaneously receive creativethoughts, because the field of pure potentiality is also the field of infinite creativity and pure knowledge. The affluence of the universe – the lavish display and abundance of the universe – is an expression of the creative mind of nature. The more tuned in you are to the mind of nature, the more you haveaccess to its infinite, unbounded creativity. But first you have to go beyond the turbulence of your internal dialogue to connect with the abundant, affluent, infinite, creative mind. And then you can create the possibility of dynamic activity while at the same time carrying the stillness of the eternal,unbounded, creative mind. 43 This exquisite combination of silent, unbounded, infinite mind along with dynamic, bounded, individual mind is the perfect balance of stillness and movement simultaneously that can createwhatever you want. This coexistence of opposites – stillness and dynamism at the same time – makes you independent of situations, circumstances, people and things. Whenever you go in the midst of movement and activity, carry your stillness within you. Then the chaotic movement around you will never overshadow your access to the reservoir of creativity, thefield of pure potentiality. #2 The Law of Giving This law could also be called the Law of Giving and Receiving, because your body and your mind andthe universe are in constant and dynamic exchange. Nothing is static. It is like the flow of blood. Whenever blood stops flowing, it begins to clot, to coagulate, and to stagnate. That is why you mustcontinue to give and receive in order to keep wealth and affluence – or anything you want in life – circulating in your life. Similarly, every relationship is one of give and take. Giving engenders receiving and receiving engenders giving. In reality, receiving is the same thing as giving, because giving and receiving aredifferent aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And when we stop the flow of either, we interfere with nature’s intelligence. The more you give, the more you will receive, because you will keep the abundance of the universecirculating in your life. In fact, anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given. That which doesn’t multiply through giving is neither worth giving nor worth receiving. It is the intention behind your giving and receiving that is the most important thing. The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and receiver, because happiness is life supporting and life sustaining and therefore generates increase. The return is directly proportional to the givingwhen it is unconditional and from the heart. Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple. If you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, give love to others; if you want attention and appreciation, give attention and appreciation to others. In fact, the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. If you want to be blessed with all the good things in life, learn to silently bless everyone with all thegood things in life. The best way to put the Law of Giving into operation – to start the whole process of circulation – is to make a decision that anytime you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something,not necessarily in the form of material things always. It could be a flower, a compliment, a prayer.In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, which cost nothing to you. When you meet someone, you can silently send them a blessing, wishing them happiness, joy and laughter. This kind of silent giving is 44 very powerful. You can make a decision to give wherever you go, to whosoever you see. As long as you are giving, you will be receiving. The more you give, the more confidence you will gain in the miraculous effectsof this law. And as you receive more, your ability to give more will also increase. How can we apply the Law of Giving in our lives? By sincerely making following commitments to ourselves… 1. Wherever I go, and whoever I encounter, I will bring them a gift. The gift may be a compliment, a flower, or a prayer. “Today, I will give something to everyone I come in contact with, and so I will begin the process of circulating joy, wealth and affluence in my lifeand in the lives of others”. 2. Today I will gratefully receive all the gifts that life has to offer to me. I will receive the giftsof nature – sunlight and the sound of birds singing, or spring showers or the first snow of winter. I will also be open to receiving from others, whether it be in the form of a material gift, money, a compliment, or a prayer. 3. I will make a commitment to keep wealth circulating in my life by giving and receiving life’smost precious gifts – the gifts of caring, affection, appreciation, and love. Each time I meetsomeone, I will silently wish them happiness, joy, and laughter. #3 The Law of “Karma” OR Cause And Effect All of us has heard the age old saying – “As you sow, so shall you reap”. This means, if we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happinessfirst. Therefore, karma implies the action of conscious choice-making. “Karma” is both action and the consequences of that action. It is cause and effect simultaneously, because every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. Whether you agree to this or not, but it is true that everything that is happening to us in our lives at this moment is a result of the choices that we have made in the past. Unfortunately, a lot of us makechoices unconsciously, and therefore we don’t think they are choices – and yet, they are. If I were to insult you, you would most likely make the choice of being offended. If I were to pay youa compliment, you would most likely make the choice of being pleased or flattered. 45 But think about it – it’s still a choice. I could offend you and I could insult you, and you could make the choice of not being offended. I could pay you a compliment and you could make the choice of not letting that flatter you either. This is because we are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are inthat field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. However, as a result of conditioning, most of us have repetitious and predictable responses to the stimuli in our environment. Our reactions seem to be automatically triggered by people and circumstances, and we forget that these are still choices that we are making in every moment of ourexistence. The only thing is simply we are making these choices unconsciously. If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices,then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconscious realm into theconscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice making, and witnessing is very empowering. While making any choice, ask yourself these two questions. 1. What are the consequences of this choice that I am making? 2. Will this choice that I am making now bring happiness to me and to those around me?And be calm and patient enough to receive the answers. In your heart you will immediately know what the consequences are of the choice you are making. For the second question, if the answer is ‘yes’, then go ahead with that choice. If the answer is ‘no’,if that choice brings distress either to you or to those around you, then don’t make that choice. It’s as simple as that. Your body experiences two kinds of sensations – one is a sensation of comfort; the other is a sensation of discomfort. At the moment you consciously make a choice, pay attention to your bodyand ask, “If I make this choice, what happens?” If your body sends a message of comfort, that’s the right choice. If your body sends a message ofdiscomfort, then it’s not the appropriate choice. The message of comfort and discomfort, for most of the people, is in the area of the heart. Consciously put your attention in the heart and ask your heart what to do. Then wait for a response – a physical response in the form of a sensation. It may be the faintest level of feeling – but it isthere, in your body. Only the heart knows the correct answer. Most people think the heart is mushy and sentimental. It is not the reality. The heart is intuitive, holistic, contextual, and relational. It doesn’t have a win- lose orientation. It taps into the cosmic computer – the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge,and infinite organizing power – and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thoughts. You can use the Law of Karma to create affluence, and the flow of all good things to you, any time you want. But first, you must become consciously aware that your future is generated by 46 the choicesyou are making in every moment of your life. The more you bring your choices into the level of your conscious awareness, the more you will make those choices which are spontaneously correct – both for you and those around you. How can we apply the Law of “Karma” or Cause and Effect in our lives? By sincerely making following commitments to ourselves… 1. Today I will witness the choices I make in each moment. And in mere witnessing of thesechoices, I will bring them to my conscious awareness. I will know that the best way to prepare for any moment in the future is to be fully conscious in the present. 2. Whenever I make a choice, I will ask myself two questions: “What are the consequences ofthis choice that I am making?” and “Will this choice bring fulfillment and happiness to me and also to those who are affected by this choice?” 3. I will then ask my heart for guidance and be guided by its message of comfort and discomfort. If the choice feels comfortable, I will plunge ahead with abandon. If the choicefeels uncomfortable, I will pause and see the consequences of my action with my inner vision. This guidance will enable me to make spontaneously correct choices for myself andfor all those around me. # 4 The Law of Least Effort “A man of Tao knows without running (about), sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing”. This profound statement comes from Taoist Master Lao Tzu. This essentially summarizes the 4th Spiritual Law of Success – The Law of Least Effort. This is the principle of least action, the principle ofno resistance. This is how nature works – with effortless ease, carefreeness, harmony and love. And when we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfil our desires. Observe carefully the nature at work, and you will find that least effort is expended. 47 Grass doesn’t try to grow, it simply grows. Fish don’t try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don’t try to bloom, they bloom.Birds don’t try to fly, they fly. The earth doesn’t try to spin on its own axis; it is the intrinsic nature of the earth to spin withdizzying speed and to hurtle through space. It is the nature of the babies to be in bliss. It is the nature of the Sun to shine. It is the nature of the stars to glitter and sparkle. ……. And, It is the nature of all humans to make dreams manifest into physical form (reality), easily and effortlessly. In ancient wisdom tradition of India ‘Vedic Science’, this principle is known as ‘The Principle of Economy of Effort’, OR the Principle of “Do Less & Accomplish More”. By and by, as one learns to livein complete harmony with nature, you come to the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything. This means there is just a faint idea (in mind in seed form), and then the manifestation ofthe idea comes about effortlessly. What is commonly called a ‘miracle’ is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort. However, one can make full use of the Law of Least Effort only when one is established in the knowledge of his/her true Self, because it is only then you are in complete harmony with nature. Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When you are established in your true Self, you are immune to criticism, youare unfearful of any challenge, and then you can harness the power of love, and use energy creatively for the experience of affluence and evolution. How can we apply the Law of Least Effort in our lives? By making a sincere commitment to follow the following three steps, you can put this principle of “Do Less & Accomplish More” into action. 48  1. ACCEPTANCE Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment… “Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur”. That means, this moment; the moment you are experiencing right now is as it should be, and thatthere is no need what-so-ever to struggle against this moment. When you struggle against this moment, you are actually struggling against the entire universe. Instead, you can and should make the decision that “Today I will not struggle against the whole universe by struggling against this moment”. This also means that your acceptance of this moment is‘Total & Complete’. You accept things as they are, and not as you wish they were in this moment. One very very important thing to understand here is that you can wish for things in the future to bedifferent (from now), but in this moment you have to accept things as they are. When you feel frustrated or upset by a person or a situation, remember that you are not reacting tothe person or the situation, but to your own feelings about the person or the situation. These are your feelings, and your feelings are not someone else’s fault. As y