Please note that the earliest Chats are at the bottom of the page with the later ones resting above the ones before. You are welcome to read them out of sequence but some of them "follow" the one before.
Good morning.
I would like to share a little
something... Lewis Carroll shared a lot of wisdom in his Alice tales.
One that has always spoken to me, and which I think is so needed in
our times, is: "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."
I have often heard this mis-quoted as "The 'faster' I go...". There really is nothing wrong with going quickly, even fast, as long as there is no sense of hurry.
Whenever we find ourselves feeling hurried it is good to remember what Lewis Carroll said. That hurry will not move you forward toward your objective more quickly, but actually keep you from getting there in a timely manner and a useful state of mind.
It is so useful to become aware of that sense of hurry. When we yield to that it shifts our state of mind to a place where we feel anxious. We feel that we might be late. We can get angry. And we are out of touch with our power. When that happens, when we feel that we must hurry our mind actually creates the lateness that we are trying to avoid.
I invite you to join in this experiment... For the next week, refuse to hurry. In fact whenever you notice yourself hurrying, slow down. Walk slower - see what is around you, and enjoy the moment. Drive slower - not to disrupt the traffic flow, but definitely relaxed and not trying to get past the others.
You will notice your body relaxing, your mental state becoming easeful, too. Not a promise here, but often you will actually get to where you'd like on-time, and in a positive state of mind. You will do you work more effectively, be more pleasant for those around you, and actually enjoy. Try it and let me know how this works for you. Remember: " The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."
Let's look for a moment at the wisdom of Lewis Carroll's teaching that we just went over. It is really inspired. And that is what I would like to look at for a moment with you: inspiration. So often we are struck by the wisdom and insights that appear to us in what might seem like unlikely places... things that actually moves us and awaken us to "the Truth." It can be in a fiction novel, or a pop song, or a drama or comedy. It can be a talk that someone is giving to the group or just a comment that someone makes, or even something you say or write. These things can be so useful. Sometimes they transform lives for ages to come, or become teaching tools to guide others.
Did Lewis Carroll realize the wisdom of what he was writing? He may have. But he may not have. Did the Beatles have any idea that their songs and music were going to impact the world as they did? They recognized that it was happening, but I don't think they felt like what they were doing initially was likely to move people all over the world so powerfully.
Often Truth simply flows through us. We are inspired. Sometimes we are aware of it. And sometimes not. But being inspired often comes when we have moved into a meditative state.
People sometimes think that a meditative state should be described as having the mind empty and the body totally still. But note that the mind is rarely empty, and even a still body is always shifting and adjusting (see the book "The Posture of Meditation" by Will Johnson - great book, be sure to read it!). Yes, our "formal" meditation practice may have us sitting still and then working to get our mind one-pointed. To those just looking at someone doing this, it may appear catatonic. But it is actually a focused, clear-minded effort after getting the body settled in a comfortable, relaxed posture - nothing at all catatonic about it.
There are two things here I would like you to consider. One is that our formal sitting is to bring us into a meditative state that will eventually become our normal way of being, so that we actually do everything in a meditative way. That meditative state is to econtinue as we do everything we do. We can be totally active, in conversation and wresting with mental problems, and do all of it with a meditative state of consciousness. This is different than meditating. Meditating is when we are making efforts to come into that start. Admittedly, the word is also used for when we are in that state - but please distinguish between the two here.
The other point I would like you to consider is how getting the mind one-pointed takes us into that meditative state. Patanjali instructs us to select something we find uplifting and focus our attention on that while our body is comfortable and steady. At first we need to make the effort to bring the mind back to what we have chosen to focus upon. This is Concentration, or Dharana. But then it actually does rest upon our object and become one-pointed. this is Meditation, or Dhyana. And then effort ceases and we move into that place of union, or yoga. This is Samadhi, or Absorption.
We often naturally move into a one-pointed state when we focus upon something that is engaging us. It may a book we are reading or a story we are writing. It may be some work we are doing either physically or mentally. It may be while dancing or performing. When our mind becomes one pointed we are in that meditative state where divine inspiration is active. It is at times like these when the wisdom teachings pour forth.
So don't hurry. So focus on things you love. Have fun.
Love always,
jayadeva