If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition;
if you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.
Padmasambhava
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Another serving of mental, spiritual and metaphysical
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,
One of the seeming paradoxes in the metaphysical field is that we
are told that suffering, death, and even the earthly lives we are
living, are all illusion. Yet, they seem real enough. So, isn’t
this position just a cop-out? I’ve pondered this a lot recently
and, in the first article, give you an analogy that may be of
help in understanding this. It certainly helps me a lot.
Contrary to popular belief, an understanding of the metaphysical
is valuable, and arguably indispensable, to being successful in
everyday life. In order to manifest abundance, we must understand
where abundance comes from in the first place. This is the
subject of the second article.
I hope you enjoy the articles this month. As ever, do drop by at
the discussion group to chat about them and share your views.
Regards,
Asoka Selvarajah
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It is often said in spiritual teachings that the world is an illusion, suffering is unreal, and that Good and Evil are dualistic fantasies. Doubtless, this is all well and good. Yet, how do we reconcile this with the fact that all of this seems very real indeed to the vast majority of us? As I pondered this one day, an interesting metaphor came to my mind that might well go some way towards illustrating this… Imagine a boy playing a computer game (I am using a boy as an example because it IS mostly boys who play these games.) This is not just any old computer game. This is one of those huge “virtual reality” fantasy role-playing environments that have been created on the internet. In this strange virtual landscape, our hero wanders around exploring mountains and caves, fighting dragons and trolls, and meeting and talking to other players. The latter are, of course, also all costumed up in their respective roles. Hence, although in real life, our lad may be still at school or working on a building site, in this world he can be Sir Galahad, Luke Skywalker (from Star Wars), or anyone else he chooses. Indeed, he could even take on a female persona, if he chose to do so. As our friend plays in this virtual world, we begin to observe a change occurring. It begins to get a grip on him. He really begins to “get into it”. Now, he’s spending hours every night wandering around in this fantasy. It’s so fascinating, and there’s so much to do and see. As we watch, he begins to spend less and less time away from the computer screen. Finally, it gets to the point where he is there 24 hours a day. His mum comes by to give him food and drink, but he gulps them down without even noticing, so immersed is he in his interactive fantasy. Now, we may imagine that he begins to develop a moral framework about this game. When he sees other fantasy characters getting “killed” in the game, he judges this as wrong and evil, and grieves over the suffering that they underwent. In a sense, they DID suffer since they are just as hooked on this fantasy world as he is. However, in reality, the other players are all just sitting alive and well in their bedrooms, also glued to their computer screens. Hence, there was no suffering in actuality; only to the fantasy character they had identified totally with. The boy regards his own fantasy body as real, and hence when he is attacked by another player, he even “suffers” as his “body” dies in the game. However, nothing has really been destroyed: only something that never really existed in the first place outside the virtual realm. We all know he can just reincarnate right back into the game, and WILL do so, such is his desire to get back into play. Maybe he lost a few points, or some of the weapons he gained last time round have disappeared, but he can just carry right on from where he left off. Do you see how this relates to the dilemma of the world, of suffering, and of Good and Evil? We believe in all of these things so totally because of our total identification with our physical bodies and the world which we inhabit. It is only because we identify so completely with the material world, and believe this is all there is, that we are haunted by all these notions. Yet, if we could awaken to the fact that reality is far more than this, and WE are far more than the limited beings we mistake ourselves for, then our notions will become to us as absurd as the boy trapped in the game. A funny thing sometimes happens (extremely rarely) in this game world. Once in a while, a player “wakes up” to who he/she really is. She realizes she is NOT the role she has been playing lifetime after lifetime in the game. Rather, she is a person in a whole other universe, staring at a computer screen and wrestling frantically with a joystick. She also realizes that she is NOT bound by the limited rules of the game at all. She can simply walk away, and those rules hold no power over her whatsoever. And she does walk away, never to return to the illusory trap of that fantasy world again. She knows now that none of it was real; the fantasy dramas, the wars, the killing, and all the mental anguish. It was just a game, although it seemed so real at the time. Although she died a million painful deaths (or so it seemed at the time), none of it touched her true essence. She didn’t really kill anyone, and nobody really killed her. It just seemed that way at the time. To those who remain, it seems as if she just “vanished”. Some say she attained what they call “Nirvana”, and ceased to exist. But that isn’t really true: she just found out who she REALLY is, and disappeared into realms beyond the game that they, still bound to it, can never conceive or imagine. Sometimes, such a person chooses to re-enter the game, but this time remaining fully aware, undeceived by the illusions of the fantasy world. She does so unselfishly, with the motive of rescuing others still trapped within the illusion. She tells them that this world that seems so real is nothing more than an illusion, that what they perceive as suffering is not real at all, and that what they perceive to be Good and Evil is likewise nonsensical, when viewed from a higher perspective. Most of the players laugh at her. These ideas are so ridiculous. They ask her to describe this “Enlightenment” she claims to have. But she cannot, because THEY cannot conceive of anything outside of the game world in which their senses are totally immersed. So, because she cannot relate it to the world they know and understand, they conclude it is extinction or non-existence. Some of them ask her to give them this enlightenment, by touching them on the shoulder, or by physically taking them there. But she says she cannot do that. Each person has to realize it for him or herself. Each person must awaken from the illusion alone. She cannot do it for them, although she can show them the quickest way to do it. Hopefully, this metaphor will have helped you to gain some insight into why spiritual teachings say the things they do about our everyday experience. It can help you to think of this world as a sort of virtual reality game. In essence, that is what it is! It would be false to say that it does not exist in ANY sense, but it IS true to say that it is nothing like the way it seems, and it is definitely not all that there is. If you can visualize the physical world as only the very tip of a vast iceberg that constitutes reality, you will be far less inclined to take it all so seriously: least of all your “bit part” in it. Oh, by the way, in the game metaphor, we were assuming that these were all separate individuals playing the game in different locations. That is only partly true. You see, at a still higher level, there is actually only ONE player who is role-playing all THOSE people sitting at their computer screens, immersed in their own fantasy world. But that is a whole other game!… Copyright Asoka Selvarajah 2002. All Rights Reserved.
If you’ve not already come across Bob Proctor, he’s the success coach who combines the metaphysical with the material! Actually, he teaches people how to manifest desired results in their lives by connecting to the Source of all abundance. His central message is that if you can get a truly crystal-clear vision in your mind of what you want, and focus upon it regularly with 100% expectancy, then it MUST manifest in your life. He should know. Once upon a time, he earned about $4-6,000 a year. Now, he earns several million dollars EACH year. The Goal Achiever system teaches you exactly how to achieve whatever you desire in life; spiritual or material, the ideas are equally applicable. There is no better, or more complete, goals program than this one. I’m always insisting on how important goals are. Well, I have this program myself and I can assure you it is one of the very best investments you can make… Click Here For More Information: http://www.aksworld.com/Resources/GoalAchiever.htm In his book, “The Science Of Getting Rich”, author Wallace D. Wattles talks about the Law of Perpetual Transmutation. Simply put, energy from the formless realm is constantly flowing into the material world and taking form. This energy is limitless and inexhaustible. As old forms are exhausted, they give way for new forms to emerge from the invisible hidden energy of the universe. The formless energy is amenable to being shaped by our minds, and is the ultimate source of all wealth. Hence, in a very real sense, every person in this world is wealthy by birth because each of us is connected to that source of infinite supply. The only problem is that almost nobody knows how to tap into it and bring it into manifestation. Hence, they remain impoverished. It is not circumstance or upbringing that does it. It is sheer ignorance of the reality of our own wealth, and how easily we could tap into it if we just tried. It is the mind that does this, and not some sort of “business strategy”. Interestingly, most people who want to achieve anything in the material world tend to focus almost exclusively upon “method”. They try to make the right contacts, study up the right books, learn the techniques, and so on. This is all very well, but it is not the only factor in success, or even the first one. In any area of endeavor, you will often find two people with almost identical talent and opportunity. One is a roaring success; the other is going nowhere. You may see two almost identical businesses; one is going from strength to strength whilst the other is almost bankrupt. Why? The answer lies in how successfully we can tap into the Law of Perpetual Transmutation, and manifest from the formless according to our desires. Rather than constantly immersing yourself in the world of Effects, i.e. the material world, more of your focus should go into the world of Causes. The first step to doing this is simply awareness. Being actually aware that your first priority should be working in the formless realm will get you a long way towards manifesting what you seek. Form will manifest from the formless, regardless of you. That is simply what happens by natural law. Hence, you can simply work with this process, and accelerate your progress, or try to ignore the law and experience relatively random results. Meditating regularly on the Law of Perpetual Transmutation can help you make it a living belief for you. In a relaxed state, imagine a vast space above you, the size of the whole sky, and filled with energy. This is the formless realm; abundant enough to create ten thousand universes the size of our own, and still be nowhere near running out. Imagine it pregnant with potential, constantly giving birth to new forms in the material world. See this going on continuously, from microscopic to macroscopic, as a flow from formless to form. See also the forms of our material world dissolving right back into the formless energy continuum. Now, place yourself between the flow. See the vast infinite energy flowing from the formless THROUGH YOU, and manifesting into form beneath you. It’s like a gigantic hourglass. The energy particles move from the formless, using you as the conduit, and flow into the material world, changed by YOUR will! Rather than simply experiencing the effects of the Law of Perpetual Transmutation, you are bending it to your will. This is the way it was always intended to be used. In truth, the whole of creation is intelligent. Nothing happens by chance. This law was made to be intelligently used. If you use a meditation like this each and every day, you will make this law your own, and begin to realize its effects in your life. It will become a living reality to you, and not merely a theory. Yes, material methods are also important and cannot be ignored. However, doing this ALONE will most probably leave you as another “also-ran”. However, if you combine working in the formless realm with also working in the conventional way, your chances of success will be phenomenally increased. In a very real sense , you will be “going with the flow”; the flow from the
formless into form through the Law of Perpetual Transmutation.
Copyright Asoka Selvarajah 2002. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Asoka Selvarajah is the author of “The 7 Golden Secrets To
Knowing Your Higher Self”. His work helps you achieve your life
dreams through learning practical, effective spiritual and
personal growth strategies. You can learn more at:
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