ushaprabhakar.com Personal Development and Sharing the Good Things of Life!

Life is a like a river. Every day events in our lives are constantly changing like the water in the flowing river. What is it that is not changing? It is the bedrock of the river that is not changing but is witnessing all the changing waters that is flowing over and above it.

The water is sometimes pure and sometimes dirty. And in some cases like the Manasarovar lake up in the hills of Tibet, it is always pure and untouched by the pollutants of the modern day civilization and Technology.

I have brought up this analogy just to point out that in spite of our changing thoughts and circumstances in life, the one thing that is not changing like the bedrock of the river, is our consciousness. Consciousness is pure awareness. An awareness that is conscious only of existence. Without consciousness there is no existence and without existence there is no consciousness. This is what is meant by Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (existence or power) being inseparable and one unit – ShivaShakti.

What is the nature of this consciousness? It is this consciousness that is referred to as the ‘atman’ in the Indian scriptures and philosophy. The Lalita Sahasranama describes this atman in a 1000 names. It describes it as ‘nitya budha’, ‘nitya mukta’, ‘nirvikalpa’, ‘nirakara’, ‘nirlepa’, ‘nishprapancha’, etc. The meaning of these words are that this consciousness is formless, ever liberated, without any modifications, untouched and unworldly.

It is very difficult to appreciate these concepts unless one has experienced the bliss of consciousness. It is beyond expression.

So what does all this have to do with the blossoming of the personality? In as much as this life is like a flowing river, I think our thoughts in our minds are like the water in the river flowing on the bedrock of our consciousness that is really untouched, unchanging and rock solid. It is the quality of our thoughts that differentiates us from one another. This difference, expresses itself as different personalities.

I think the blossoming of the personality is like a journey.

We are all like flowers waiting to bloom and radiate our beautiful fragrance. Our thoughts are powerful enough to make us and others happy and joyful or sad and miserable. Most of us want to be happy, for, that is what gives us life and rejuvenates us. However, when we lead our lives ‘unconscious’ or ‘unaware’ of the power of our thoughts, we seem to create a life of mediocrity, without any direction. When, in spite of the challenges in our lives, we carry positive thoughts, we radiate joy and inspiration to others. Trying to understand what makes us happy or sad helps us to develop into productive and inspiring personalities. Expanding our consciousness to think of others besides only ourselves, enlarges our circle of influence.

Really our personal development starts with studying ourselves first rather than others or our outside circumstances.

What inspired me to write down these thoughts is when I started reflecting on my life and wondered why I feel so lonely these days, I asked a friend who lives alone, whether she feels lonely, and she said, ‘yes, but not anymore.’ I asked her how she overcame her loneliness. She replied, “I started thinking about other people and their problems and about how to help them.” And then she added, “I enjoy my own company.” I was impressed with her answer.

Selfless service – trying to help others with no ulterior motive or aim to profit oneself, is one way of achieving purity of mind. Purity of mind leads to unity of mind – to include one and all into one’s life. Our journey thru life begins with the love of the self “me and mine.” But when we broaden our outlook and sacrifice this limited self, we attain a greater peace and love which I am calling the blossoming of the soul personality. In this state of peace and love there is no room for thoughts or words. Silence is the ultimate, and the culmination of the journey.

James Allen in his timeless classic book “As A Man Thinketh” said so beautifully the following in the chapter called ‘Serenity’:

The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those who possess these blessings, for they are always serene and calm. That exquisite poise of character that we call serenity is the last lesson of culture. It is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom–more desirable than fine gold. How insignificant mere money-seeking looks in comparison with a serene life. A life that dwells in the ocean of truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of the tempests, in the Eternal Calm!