Part 7 - Meditation
& Freedom
As science reveals the vastness of the cosmos, meditation
reveals the vastness of thought and consciousness; as science perennially seeks
new sources of energy, so meditation reveals a fount of creative energy within
us; as science seeks to discover new labor-saving, life-saving,
health-restoring devices and cures, so meditation reveals the subtle energy of
life force which brings health and vitality into everyday life. As science seeks
solutions to life’s material problems, so meditation discovers the innate joy
of consciousness which is itself the greatest problem solver of them all
because it brings unconditional happiness: the pearl of great price which
cannot be bought cheaply at Wal-Mart.
Consider, friends, that the cosmos is an inextricable mix of
matter and mind; objective and subjective; esoteric and exoteric; seen and
unseen. As it has been proven by science that the observer is not separable
from the observed, so too is consciousness an integral part of matter.
So, my scientific, skeptical, agnostic, atheistic friends:
whether God exists, whether consciousness underlies creation, or whether
consciousness persists in the midst of death is not the issue. Your interest in
and open mind toward the subject is the issue. God gives us the free will to
seek Him or to reject Him. For countless incarnations we can seek fulfillment
in outer circumstances and yet will always find disappointment. As this
universe has existed for untold billions of years, so have we. As energy can be
neither created nor destroyed, so too consciousness! There is no death, only
the outer appearance of change. Consciousness and Self-awareness simply IS.
Indeed, given the transitory, fleeting appearance and disappearances of atoms,
molecules, mountains and stars, Consciousness is the only reality.
We have nothing to fear for in our pure consciousness for we
are eternal: not as bodies or egos, but as unique manifestations of Infinite
Consciousness. This, admittedly, is a dogma (a precept) but it is one that can
be proved, intuitively, step by step, even if, owing to distractions and outer
circumstances, it might take more than one lifetime. The proof of pudding is in
the eating and the eating is good, for the sincere and focused inquiry produces
a more reliable and increasingly stable happiness. The eating is in the
discipline of meditation and the art of seeking happiness (aka God). It is a
money-back guarantee that meditation, combined with right attitude, right
understanding, and right action will bring the greatest happiness possible in
this life, bar none!
No saint who has achieved union with the Creator has returned
to say, “Ah, what a scam!” By contrast, no single human talent or achievement
can so boast. Its votaries invariably and eventually turn away with a yawn and
a shrug. Like Ian Fleming said of fame, “At first was fun, but now it’s just
ashes, old man, just ashes.” Same for money, pleasure, beauty, fortune and on
and on. There’s always a fly somewhere in the soup! Like prostitutes, they are
loyal to no one.
After hard experience, we may eventually recognize that
self-indulgence and selfishness produce unhappiness and suffering. Then we turn
to human virtue and goodness. These are our first, halting steps in the
evolution of our consciousness. Most people and most orthodox religions more or
less stop here. To go further, one must go on alone. For virtue, while its own
reward, cannot satisfy our potential for lasting happiness. Through sincere
seeking and studying truth from the wise, we awaken the intuition to see that
no matter how virtuous I may be and no matter how satisfying to me my virtuous
conduct is, I see that suffering, disease, old age and death still exist. I
never know how or when my virtue may slip from my grasp under trying
circumstances. Virtue isn’t arbitrary or inconsequential: it is a necessary
stepping stone and a foundation for further evolution.
Something more is sought, therefore, as our soul evolves.
Better to be agnostic than to embrace yet another unprovable dogma: atheism.
Better yet, however, to have the rigor and self-honesty of mind to be open to
realities beyond your next meal and to realize that it’s a matter of mind. Who
can look up at the stars and ask “What’s for dinner?” Those who do can be
excused for dinner, of course, but the rest of us will ask questions of life
even if we also, later, eat our dinner. If you are uninterested, I don’t judge
you. You judge (or limit) your own potential for happiness. The universe has
lots of time. God will wait.
So, wise up, get a real life, and expand your consciousness. As
Jesus put it, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” Discover the truth that
shall make your mind free from “dire fears and colossal suffering” (Krishna,
the Bhagavad Gita).
For those of you who have
followed my ramblings and reflections, I applaud your valor and endurance. It
is my prayer that a bit here and a bit there of these reflections will provide
some inspiration to readers and, in the process, some tribute to the memory and
living spirit of my teacher, Swami Kriyananda and to our guru, Paramhansa
Yogananda—a beacon of hope for a better world than that offered to us by the
scoffers and skeptics.
