Mirror! Mirror! Show me!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to contemplate on Radha, your mind and Krishna, your true heart. Radha and Krishna need to be very much aligned for our true Dharma to even make sense. Until our mind is not aligned with our heart, the mind without an anchor behind it would go whichever way it prefers. We the being would be a string attached to the mind going all over the mentalscape without any place to call home. This is not the physical home we live in the world. This is the 'metaphorical home'- the place in our own life where we feel totally comfortable, the place we have made for ourselves in this world. The niche or place the Soul can rest without chasing or pursuing anything-Home.
Isn't every Soul in search of this place, where we feel ourselves, totally comfortable, without masks, personas or facades? In this search people fall victim for anything and everything. Some humans feel another person has to provide us that security, to make us complete. Some feel it is the education that gives us our value. Others feel if they have a great career that would bring them home and value. But each time in life we realize, this is the external value. Our life feels empty, as if something is still missing.
Why is it like that? Shouldn't material things that give us comfort, that place us in powerful places in society, or provide us valuable things bring us happiness? Why are even very successful people many times commit suicide, go in search of Ashrams (hermitages) or become followers of spiritual Gurus? Why? What is it that is missing in many people's life?
We have discussed elaborately how our mind can bring us up or tear us down. We have also discussed enough how the internet and social media age has brought the good as well as bad qualities of mind, intellect, information as well as communication. The whole world is in the process of communicating. We are plugged in to computers, cell phones, tablets, kindles and iPads. But is the plugging in really bringing change into our life? Externally, yes.
But internally, does these gadgets do any thing to bring up our value? Are we really making a place called home or niche for ourselves using these gadgets? Are we standing in our unique purpose- Dharma? The minute we start to think about our Dharma, it is not enough to have the body and the mind. Yes, body and mind are important to live a powerful life. Let us take two examples to elaborate this point.
Stephen Hawking. The physicist. A brilliant mind that was trapped inside a diseased body. His mind was swimming in creative ideas. But the body was progressively deteriorating. In his last two decades he had to use the help of computers to translate small twitches of the cheeks into words. A brilliant mind that didn't have the support of the body. Now, about another brilliant Nobel prize laureate- John Nash. His game theory got him the Nobel prize in Economics along with two other mathematicians in 1994. 'A beautiful mind' indeed! But for around thirty years of his life, the same mind took him to a psychiatric facility due to Bipolar disorder. For 30 years the brilliant mathematician was incapacitated due to his mental illness. So, yes, both body as well as mind are of utmost importance to pursue our Dharma. But above that to do our purpose, we need a solid connection to our own heart.
The heart (Hrudayah-हृदयः ): All of us have a literal, beating heart-the physical one. Here we are not discussing the literal, but the metaphorical heart. The heart space-the heart chakra-Anahata, that is usually depicted as having green auric energy. This is where the Soul is supposed to be thought to reside. In many Tamil Brahmin households, the Rangoli (Kolam) or floor pattern is made of Hrudayakamalam (Heart, the lotus flower). This is the heart chakra depicted as a lotus pattern on the floor using rice powder mixed in water. The metaphorical heart is called Hrudayah, that is depicted as a green lotus.
Lotus, in spirituality is the symbol of wisdom. So, by drawing the kolam it is brought to our attention to focus on the heart. The wisdom the heart brings. The wisdom of the Soul. The Soul that has taken birth in this life to fulfill its Dharma. There is also another underlying aspect to this Hrudyah that we need to bring attention to. It is said the heart chakra is the one that opens at the very last. The openness to see the the Universal aspect in everyone and everything that encompasses this whole Universe. For that heart to open, every other chakra has to be open and blooming.
Only a person who has realized themselves can appreciate their place in the world and that appreciation then expands to appreciate others and their place in the world. The heart then opens even more to see how every thing big and small has been weaved into a beautiful quilt called the Universe. Look at the modern world. Many times we are struggling with this concept called 'oneness'. We are not able to see this 'Universality' underlying everything. We are only able to see divisions, groups, religions, parties, creeds, class and more.
We can question, do we really need an open heart? Why not stay as a normal person just doing every day thing and being part of a group? There is nothing wrong in being part of a group. That brings us happiness, a feel of community and doing something together. But when being in a group, trying to bring down another group of people, that is a big No! As we have a 'right to exist and thrive' so are they. So, the second we try to bring anyone down, we are working against the laws of the Universe. In that space, no amount of rituals, prayer, or sacred temple/church/mosque visits bring any good to us. We are working against the spiritual laws. We are judged always by the 'Law of cause and effect (Karma).' What we put into our life, we get back. Period!
Mirror! Mirror! The movie 'Snow White and seven dwarfs' comes to mind. In that picture, the evil queen once in a while goes near a magic mirror on the wall and asks, "Mirror! Mirror! Show me who is the most beautiful there is?" We were discussing how a heart based living is important to be deeply anchored in our own life. But how can we be sure we are living from the heart? What if we are living from the mind and not finding the power in our own life?
Is there a magic mirror we can access to verify whether we are living from our heart? Can we ask "Mirror, Mirror?" Yes, there is. The mirror is our own life that shows us our own true reality. Of course we need to develop our mental eye (third eye) to truly make sense of this. How can our life be the mirror? Here I want to bring in another spiritual law.
'Our inner reality reflects outside'. So, if our life is laden with confusion, chaos and fights we can be sure our inner life also is laden with struggles. Most probably this reality is from the mind. The mind without a heart anchor roams all around the mental sky. It does not know which thought is valuable and which thought is chaff. The same way a computer monitor is. The monitor or the RAM can bring up brilliant images. But whether the image, snap, or the words are important or not, us the being needs to decide with the help of the mother board.
Same way, the mind is the RAM and the connected monitor. The mother board is the heart and the person or the higher Self is the being. The heart space holds the higher being and this is where our Dharma or true purpose is aligned. A few words about Dharma. This is how I understand it nowadays. Sure, in another ten years I may have another more evolved perspective. But for today this is how I understand.
Dharma-our purpose. Each of us has a very defined purpose. Defined purpose is not some thing like a very small career, no. Let me give with an example- Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was an eighteenth century philosopher and theologian. His Dharma was to teach the transcendental spirituality. It manifested in several forms. He wrote essays on transcendental principles, gave speeches at Universities, other gatherings of great minds. He involved himself in debates with other theologians. He took classes and was a teacher to many. He did many kinds of teaching activities. But behind every activity there was an underlying theme of a mentor/ guide/teacher. That is how a true Dharma manifests. The actions the person take can be many different, but the theme or the intention behind the activities would be the same.
This theme or intention becomes crystal clear once we tap into our heart. Here we know the truth of our Dharma. Therefore our actions are according to this underlying theme. The actions we take are from our inner reality of knowing the Dharma. According to the actions we take our reality starts to take shape. Until now we were unaware of our Dharma-the unconscious state. Here still our inner reality of confusion reflects outside. At that time if we had been in college, we would take a bunch of courses without any idea of where we truly want to go. Same way if we are in the career stage we would take the career that gives us the best money and career. But these thoughts are from the mind- the RAM with no connection to the motherboard or being. A being who is sleep walking through their own life. My own first forty five years is an underline to that.
Show me the reality! Now the case of a being who has found the truth of their heart and their mind solidly embedded in their heart. Here also the outer reality is a mirror of the inner reality. But this being knows their Dharma. They look at their own life with raw, deep insight. What is working? What is not working? Due to the fact they realize the truth of their heart, anything that is not in alignment with their Dharma sticks out as a rough edge. They know that one piece or pieces of the puzzle is a misfit. There are aspects that are not working for their life.
It can be anything- career, relationships, health, peace- pretty much anything. This piece or pieces have to be worked on, so that they can start aligning with Dharma. But this path also is not a bed of roses. The level of evolution keeps on happening. There are doors after doors that need to be opened with our sheer will, intentions and mental might. But here also our life reflects our inner reality. Whoever we are within, it reflects in our life.
If we are truthful and honest, we can see our life attracts people who are truthful and honest. If we appreciate our own truth, we find people who appreciates us. If we are not truthful and honest with ourselves, we also attract beings who have not started valuing their own truth. If we delve into corruption and cheating, soon our life also gets surrounded by cheats and thieves. Our life is the perfect mirror to our own inner reality. We don't have to ask anyone or anybody whether we are doing the correct thing, whether we are living our truths. (Here I want to mention I have spent years asking mentors, Professors and teachers, whether I am doing the correct thing. Who knew, our inner reality reflects outside.)
Our life would show us the reality of how we are doing. Our actions would lead us either towards our own Dharma or far away from our Dharma. Our life would reflect truly who we are inside. Are we respectful of ourselves? Do we appreciate ourselves? Are we trustworthy enough to not put down our own truths? Are we strong enough to pursue our Dharma? Are we strong enough to stand up in the face of adversity?
Our life itself is the true and total reflection of our own reality. Our life is the mirror. Mirror! Mirror! Show me the reality!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: The power of a being!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer:
This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are
that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to
research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this
blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the
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of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2019- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to contemplate on Radha, your mind and Krishna, your true heart. Radha and Krishna need to be very much aligned for our true Dharma to even make sense. Until our mind is not aligned with our heart, the mind without an anchor behind it would go whichever way it prefers. We the being would be a string attached to the mind going all over the mentalscape without any place to call home. This is not the physical home we live in the world. This is the 'metaphorical home'- the place in our own life where we feel totally comfortable, the place we have made for ourselves in this world. The niche or place the Soul can rest without chasing or pursuing anything-Home.
 |
| Radha, the mind and Krishna, the heart! We can see the halo around Radha's head showing indeed she was a realized Soul! Image credits-Daderot [Public domain] |
Isn't every Soul in search of this place, where we feel ourselves, totally comfortable, without masks, personas or facades? In this search people fall victim for anything and everything. Some humans feel another person has to provide us that security, to make us complete. Some feel it is the education that gives us our value. Others feel if they have a great career that would bring them home and value. But each time in life we realize, this is the external value. Our life feels empty, as if something is still missing.
Why is it like that? Shouldn't material things that give us comfort, that place us in powerful places in society, or provide us valuable things bring us happiness? Why are even very successful people many times commit suicide, go in search of Ashrams (hermitages) or become followers of spiritual Gurus? Why? What is it that is missing in many people's life?
We have discussed elaborately how our mind can bring us up or tear us down. We have also discussed enough how the internet and social media age has brought the good as well as bad qualities of mind, intellect, information as well as communication. The whole world is in the process of communicating. We are plugged in to computers, cell phones, tablets, kindles and iPads. But is the plugging in really bringing change into our life? Externally, yes.
But internally, does these gadgets do any thing to bring up our value? Are we really making a place called home or niche for ourselves using these gadgets? Are we standing in our unique purpose- Dharma? The minute we start to think about our Dharma, it is not enough to have the body and the mind. Yes, body and mind are important to live a powerful life. Let us take two examples to elaborate this point.
 |
| Stephen Hawking Image credits-NASA [Public domain] |
 |
| John Forbes Nash Jr. Image credits-Peter Badge / Typos1 [CC BY-SA 3.0 |
The heart (Hrudayah-हृदयः ): All of us have a literal, beating heart-the physical one. Here we are not discussing the literal, but the metaphorical heart. The heart space-the heart chakra-Anahata, that is usually depicted as having green auric energy. This is where the Soul is supposed to be thought to reside. In many Tamil Brahmin households, the Rangoli (Kolam) or floor pattern is made of Hrudayakamalam (Heart, the lotus flower). This is the heart chakra depicted as a lotus pattern on the floor using rice powder mixed in water. The metaphorical heart is called Hrudayah, that is depicted as a green lotus.
 |
| The heart chakra, the sacred space of the heart - Anahata Image credits-Atarax42 [CC0] |
Lotus, in spirituality is the symbol of wisdom. So, by drawing the kolam it is brought to our attention to focus on the heart. The wisdom the heart brings. The wisdom of the Soul. The Soul that has taken birth in this life to fulfill its Dharma. There is also another underlying aspect to this Hrudyah that we need to bring attention to. It is said the heart chakra is the one that opens at the very last. The openness to see the the Universal aspect in everyone and everything that encompasses this whole Universe. For that heart to open, every other chakra has to be open and blooming.
Only a person who has realized themselves can appreciate their place in the world and that appreciation then expands to appreciate others and their place in the world. The heart then opens even more to see how every thing big and small has been weaved into a beautiful quilt called the Universe. Look at the modern world. Many times we are struggling with this concept called 'oneness'. We are not able to see this 'Universality' underlying everything. We are only able to see divisions, groups, religions, parties, creeds, class and more.
We can question, do we really need an open heart? Why not stay as a normal person just doing every day thing and being part of a group? There is nothing wrong in being part of a group. That brings us happiness, a feel of community and doing something together. But when being in a group, trying to bring down another group of people, that is a big No! As we have a 'right to exist and thrive' so are they. So, the second we try to bring anyone down, we are working against the laws of the Universe. In that space, no amount of rituals, prayer, or sacred temple/church/mosque visits bring any good to us. We are working against the spiritual laws. We are judged always by the 'Law of cause and effect (Karma).' What we put into our life, we get back. Period!
Mirror! Mirror! The movie 'Snow White and seven dwarfs' comes to mind. In that picture, the evil queen once in a while goes near a magic mirror on the wall and asks, "Mirror! Mirror! Show me who is the most beautiful there is?" We were discussing how a heart based living is important to be deeply anchored in our own life. But how can we be sure we are living from the heart? What if we are living from the mind and not finding the power in our own life?
 |
| Mirror! Mirror! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
'Our inner reality reflects outside'. So, if our life is laden with confusion, chaos and fights we can be sure our inner life also is laden with struggles. Most probably this reality is from the mind. The mind without a heart anchor roams all around the mental sky. It does not know which thought is valuable and which thought is chaff. The same way a computer monitor is. The monitor or the RAM can bring up brilliant images. But whether the image, snap, or the words are important or not, us the being needs to decide with the help of the mother board.
Same way, the mind is the RAM and the connected monitor. The mother board is the heart and the person or the higher Self is the being. The heart space holds the higher being and this is where our Dharma or true purpose is aligned. A few words about Dharma. This is how I understand it nowadays. Sure, in another ten years I may have another more evolved perspective. But for today this is how I understand.
Dharma-our purpose. Each of us has a very defined purpose. Defined purpose is not some thing like a very small career, no. Let me give with an example- Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was an eighteenth century philosopher and theologian. His Dharma was to teach the transcendental spirituality. It manifested in several forms. He wrote essays on transcendental principles, gave speeches at Universities, other gatherings of great minds. He involved himself in debates with other theologians. He took classes and was a teacher to many. He did many kinds of teaching activities. But behind every activity there was an underlying theme of a mentor/ guide/teacher. That is how a true Dharma manifests. The actions the person take can be many different, but the theme or the intention behind the activities would be the same.
This theme or intention becomes crystal clear once we tap into our heart. Here we know the truth of our Dharma. Therefore our actions are according to this underlying theme. The actions we take are from our inner reality of knowing the Dharma. According to the actions we take our reality starts to take shape. Until now we were unaware of our Dharma-the unconscious state. Here still our inner reality of confusion reflects outside. At that time if we had been in college, we would take a bunch of courses without any idea of where we truly want to go. Same way if we are in the career stage we would take the career that gives us the best money and career. But these thoughts are from the mind- the RAM with no connection to the motherboard or being. A being who is sleep walking through their own life. My own first forty five years is an underline to that.
Show me the reality! Now the case of a being who has found the truth of their heart and their mind solidly embedded in their heart. Here also the outer reality is a mirror of the inner reality. But this being knows their Dharma. They look at their own life with raw, deep insight. What is working? What is not working? Due to the fact they realize the truth of their heart, anything that is not in alignment with their Dharma sticks out as a rough edge. They know that one piece or pieces of the puzzle is a misfit. There are aspects that are not working for their life.
It can be anything- career, relationships, health, peace- pretty much anything. This piece or pieces have to be worked on, so that they can start aligning with Dharma. But this path also is not a bed of roses. The level of evolution keeps on happening. There are doors after doors that need to be opened with our sheer will, intentions and mental might. But here also our life reflects our inner reality. Whoever we are within, it reflects in our life.
 |
| Our life reflects our inner reality! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
Our life would show us the reality of how we are doing. Our actions would lead us either towards our own Dharma or far away from our Dharma. Our life would reflect truly who we are inside. Are we respectful of ourselves? Do we appreciate ourselves? Are we trustworthy enough to not put down our own truths? Are we strong enough to pursue our Dharma? Are we strong enough to stand up in the face of adversity?
Our life itself is the true and total reflection of our own reality. Our life is the mirror. Mirror! Mirror! Show me the reality!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: The power of a being!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2019- Eternity
![Daderot [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radha_and_Krishna_set,_2_of_7,_by_Govinda_Chatera_Chota_for_the_Satasai_of_Bihari_Lal,_India,_Samod,_Rajasthan,_mid_1800s,_mineral_and_plant_colors_on_paper_-_Linden-Museum_-_Stuttgart,_Germany_-_DSC03746.jpg){kind=link}
![NASA [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stephen_Hawking.StarChild.jpg){kind=link}
![Atarax42 [CC0]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chakra4.svg){kind=link}
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