Ten Days Journey Into The Self: Meditation On Energy

We do not possess energy, we are energy.

Friends. Today we will concentrate on energy. We do not possess energy, we are energy. The Atman, the soul is energy- -living conscious energy. Matter also is energy, but it is energy without consciousness of life.

In meditation we must realize, “I am spirit and light of conscious energy --- with me, around me, and in me." In this time of special peace, in meditation, we can become aware of being this energy which is infinite and immortal. Then we feel vitality and know this is our true nature, that this energy is for creation.

What differentiates man from other living beings are the qualities of our loving and our knowing. The earth is blessed with energy in many forms. Energy is in the rocks, in water, in air, in fire, in minerals, in the mud. Energy is in trees, grasses, flowers. Energy is in all the beasts and birds, in the fish of the sea and the insects of the air. All these forms of energy are interdependent. Human life is enhanced when our own energy is guided by love and intelligence, and degraded when our energy is guided by negative emotions, personal greed, and ignorance. Love and intelligence guiding our energy make us part of on-going evolution.

Man's energy, the energy of spirit, can have dominance over other forms of energy. Think of the energy of Einstein that could penetrate the atom, and led to awareness of the chain reaction of the nuclear explosion. This gave man power. This energy is energy: With awareness it becomes a blessing; without awareness it may turn human life into a heap of ashes. The unknown summons our energies whether to cross seas, or travel to the moon. Violence and injustice challenge us to bring new energy to help create a peaceful, united brotherhood of man.

In a sense, however, mankind is already a brother-hood. Invisibly we are all related to every soul in the world, and yet every soul is a stranger. This is the paradox! We are all related and yet we are alone. We meditate to understand this paradox and to find what we can be in relation to the world. This way we find ourselves. We find the blessing the world needs from us, and thus we are blessed.

Love is the greatest energy of the cosmos, the energy that makes all that could be unfold, the cosmogenic energy. This human energy is expressed in thoughts, emotions, words, action. Man is born with the capacity to react with a variety of emotions, and sometimes his early childhood experiences largely determine which will become predominant. If he is treated with respect he will respect himself and others. If his initiative is approved he will retain initiative. If he is allowed to think for himself, he will be original. The child is the future, but the parent can have a powerful influence on the child's future. Whether love and intelligence will guide our energy depends much on the love and intelligence shown us as children. However, with awareness and meditation, we learn to forgive ignorance in our parents and go beyond the limits of our childhood. This shows the strength of love.

Communication is a major source and outlet of the love and intelligence that guide our energy, so let us focus on our energy that goes into communication. Social conventions communicate, such as racial or class discrimination. Actions communicate: as it is said, “actions speak louder than words." Facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, everything that we are, communicates. However, words, articulate language especially, are the media of human communication. And how little we know about using them! We know how to use electricity, but not the more powerful energy of our verbal communication.

Words produce a reaction that comes back on us. A well-known Indian story illustrates this. A boy wandered into a woods at the foot of a mountain and called out, “You are the devil." He heard a voice answer, “You are the devil." In terror, he hurried home and told his mother what he had heard. She said, “Don't worry, son, I'll show you who was speaking." She took him back to the same spot and told him to call, “I love you." He did, and the voice answered, “I love you." She explained, “That was only an echo."

In society we continuously echo each other. One nation says, “You are a dangerous enemy, “ and we hear the answer, “You are a dangerous enemy.' We say, “I have many nuclear bombs, “ and we hear the without seeming to realize that what they do causes others to do the same. Each threatens by words and threatens by actions, blind to the results. Each society and each individual, should take the initiative in communicating with love and intelligence.

In today's world, words that were meant to lead us are used to mislead us. We are constantly deluged and deluded by advertising which tells us, “Use this hairspray and be beautiful." Or, “Drink this whiskey and be happy." And in politics, truth is reduced to credibility. Any verbal device which can manipulate the public and disguise facts is considered viable. And as to ourselves, most of the time, we use language to conceal our thoughts and feelings rather than to reveal ourselves. Ultimately this becomes our own barrier and we confuse and deceive ourselves. The moment you begin to use language to reveal rather than conceal yourself, you begin the journey from the lower to the Higher Self.

For that we must concentrate on the subtlety of our communications, and the purpose behind them. Here is a story that illustrates this subtlety, and its effect. Once there was a king who had a terrible dream, a frightening nightmare. In this dream, he saw each of the thirty-two teeth in his mouth fall out one by one. He was very disturbed when he awoke. Right away he sent for his wise men and soothsayers. Two of them, upon hearing his account of the dream, told him they could explain it to him. The first one said it was like this: “Sire, what this dream signifies is that every member of your family will die before you. One by one you shall have to witness their deaths before your very eyes. And, what is worse, you will not be able to do anything to pre-vent this." When the king heard these words he became terribly depressed and locked himself in his chambers. For a whole day he did not come out or take any food. Finally, he emerged and the other soothsayer who had indicated that he understood the dream came forward and said, “Lord, in this dream of yours I see the promise of your great longevity. You will live to such an old age that none of the members of your family will have to witness your death. They will be spared this painful experience.'' The king sat up and said, “So I shall live long, and my family will be spared the sorrow of mourning for me." Then he smiled and was consoled.

Communication can elicit or can crush hope. Communication can turn potential friends into enemies, or potential enemies into friends.

Let us enter meditation by concentrating on how we use our energy in communicating; do we conceal or do we reveal ourselves. Let us concentrate on how our communication, by revealing ourselves, can spread in the world around us, amity, appreciation, compassion, equanimity and concord. We cannot wait for these qualities to come from the outside; we must initiate them.

THOUGHTS

1. Let us communicate with love and intelligence, to increase the earth's expression of joy.
2. We cannot wait for non-violence and truth to take over the world. We have to be the initiators.
3. Man's energy of spirit can have dominance over other forms of energy. Let us use it as light and love.