When most of us dispassionately look at our own lives, even at the best of times, we feel a certain lurking unhappiness, anxiety, fear or some combination of negative fears in varying degrees. Why is it that we can never be fully happy? Is there a way to remain happy in our normal day to day life? An answer that immediately comes up is to be on the spiritual path as that is the only one guaranteed to help attain infinite bliss. But when we think of being spiritual, we assume a monk or a nun and assume that we have to shut ourselves up from the world to become spiritual. We then sigh and say, we are still too young for it and do not get on the path. However, due to this, we have lost out an opportunity to be happy as early as possible in our lives.So, is there any way, where we could be in this world and yet be spiritual? Don't be shocked!. The answer is a definite yes!
The fundamental objective of the spiritual practice is to reduce/eliminate the ego. Ego is that quality, as it were, which makes us arrogate the doership and consequent results of any action. It is that which makes us who are truly happy to associate with the body/mind/intellect and get a false sense of self-identity which causes the myriad problems of ownership, jealousy, anger to name a few. So, let us see some simple day to day practices which can help reduce the ego and put us on the spiritual path, thereby bringing us closer to the ideal of happiness, in the true sense.
When we wake up in the morning, most of us wake up either cursing the alarm or reach for our cell phones to check the messages or something similar. Have we ever reflected on the fact that we are still alive whereas several have died as we slept? What is it that kept us alive and made us see another new day? Can we not start our day with a simple grateful acknowledgement to some super power, which kept us alive? We do not need to believe in God as a super power. We do not need to give up our insistence on scientific principles. We can just tell a simple thanks to whatever or whoever it is that has given us an opportunity to see another day. When we do this, what are we implicitly doing? We are realizing that there is another power much beyond us and to that extent, our ego or our self arrogated self-importance is lessened. We are starting the day with an attitude of gratitude.
We get up and let us say, we start our daily exercise. We want to keep the body fit, surely. Why do we want to keep the body fit? It is a strange question. Why do we need to keep our cars well maintained? This is to ensure that it is fully available for our journey. Why do we undertake a journey? To fulfill some objective, obviously! Now, the body is like a vehicle which is being used for a purpose. The sole purpose of human life, as stated earlier, is to realize the true happiness or enlightenment and become the infinite. However, the body/mind/intellect complex is a must as a vehicle to help the individual "entity" or Jiva to do the necessary journey and arrive at the destination. So, when we exercise the body or do mental exercises, it helps to remind ourselves, that these exercises are for the purpose of the ultimate destination.
The same reasoning will work for those who want to spend time grooming themselves and want to look beautiful or handsome as the case maybe. There is nothing wrong in that at all. When we buy a new BMW, we spend hours keeping it clean. When we are given the responsibility of taking care of a friend's luxury car, as an act of responsibility, we spend more time taking care of his car than our's. We feel a sense of agency, a sense of responsibility towards someone who has trusted us. In the same way, this body has been given to us and we as its agents, have a responsibility to maintain it and keep it looking good. So, every time we apply that additional scent, cream or whatever to make ourselves look better, let su remember that we as agents of the super power that gave us this body, are obliged to do it. To the extent that we can see the body/mind/intellect as vehicles only and not associate with them directly, we have reduced the ego to that extent.
We get into the morning commute and soon we notice that we are clogged and the traffic is not moving. We curse everyone wondering what so many people are doing at the same time. Why should i not be the only person on the road and get a smooth ride? Since this will never happen, the more we think of the clogged roads, the more unhappiness. Instead, can we for a moment, sit back and ask ourselves, what gives us the right to the road? There could be a sick person waiting to be taken to the hospital. There could be a mother driving to the airport to get her child. If we can reduce our own self worth and realize that there could be others who have a more pressing reason to be on the road, it probably will give a sense of calmness. If we observe what really is happening, we have reduced our own self worth, reduced our own ego and hence the calmness.
We get into our office. We start off with the usual greetings. We are getting overburdened or so we think. We just want to finish and get away. We look at a task and worry about consequences of the act, what fruits will it get? We worry whether, by doing a particular task, someone else will benefit. We look for chances where we can benefit from a company. But how often have we thought selflessly about doing a task because it is the right thing to do. If i am a software developer in a hospital, rather than worrying whether by writing the correct program, whether I will get a bonus, can I for a moment realize that by doing the right program, a patient's life may be saved? We are not changing anything. Only our attitude to work is changing. I will challenge anyone in an office environment. Think of how your work is benefiting someone other than yourself. Then work will not become meaningless and tiring at all. again, what is happening here? We are submerging our individual expectations from a job and offering our action towards a cause bigger than ourselves. We are in effect reducing our ego!
Thus it can be seen that my making small changes in the way we deal with our day to day life, we can practice the art of reducing our ego and in the process be on the path towards a higher happiness.
As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.
I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.
1. My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
2. Attain Infinite Bliss
Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide
3. The Spirit Of Spirituality
The Spirit Of Spirituality
The fundamental objective of the spiritual practice is to reduce/eliminate the ego. Ego is that quality, as it were, which makes us arrogate the doership and consequent results of any action. It is that which makes us who are truly happy to associate with the body/mind/intellect and get a false sense of self-identity which causes the myriad problems of ownership, jealousy, anger to name a few. So, let us see some simple day to day practices which can help reduce the ego and put us on the spiritual path, thereby bringing us closer to the ideal of happiness, in the true sense.
When we wake up in the morning, most of us wake up either cursing the alarm or reach for our cell phones to check the messages or something similar. Have we ever reflected on the fact that we are still alive whereas several have died as we slept? What is it that kept us alive and made us see another new day? Can we not start our day with a simple grateful acknowledgement to some super power, which kept us alive? We do not need to believe in God as a super power. We do not need to give up our insistence on scientific principles. We can just tell a simple thanks to whatever or whoever it is that has given us an opportunity to see another day. When we do this, what are we implicitly doing? We are realizing that there is another power much beyond us and to that extent, our ego or our self arrogated self-importance is lessened. We are starting the day with an attitude of gratitude.
We get up and let us say, we start our daily exercise. We want to keep the body fit, surely. Why do we want to keep the body fit? It is a strange question. Why do we need to keep our cars well maintained? This is to ensure that it is fully available for our journey. Why do we undertake a journey? To fulfill some objective, obviously! Now, the body is like a vehicle which is being used for a purpose. The sole purpose of human life, as stated earlier, is to realize the true happiness or enlightenment and become the infinite. However, the body/mind/intellect complex is a must as a vehicle to help the individual "entity" or Jiva to do the necessary journey and arrive at the destination. So, when we exercise the body or do mental exercises, it helps to remind ourselves, that these exercises are for the purpose of the ultimate destination.
The same reasoning will work for those who want to spend time grooming themselves and want to look beautiful or handsome as the case maybe. There is nothing wrong in that at all. When we buy a new BMW, we spend hours keeping it clean. When we are given the responsibility of taking care of a friend's luxury car, as an act of responsibility, we spend more time taking care of his car than our's. We feel a sense of agency, a sense of responsibility towards someone who has trusted us. In the same way, this body has been given to us and we as its agents, have a responsibility to maintain it and keep it looking good. So, every time we apply that additional scent, cream or whatever to make ourselves look better, let su remember that we as agents of the super power that gave us this body, are obliged to do it. To the extent that we can see the body/mind/intellect as vehicles only and not associate with them directly, we have reduced the ego to that extent.
We get into the morning commute and soon we notice that we are clogged and the traffic is not moving. We curse everyone wondering what so many people are doing at the same time. Why should i not be the only person on the road and get a smooth ride? Since this will never happen, the more we think of the clogged roads, the more unhappiness. Instead, can we for a moment, sit back and ask ourselves, what gives us the right to the road? There could be a sick person waiting to be taken to the hospital. There could be a mother driving to the airport to get her child. If we can reduce our own self worth and realize that there could be others who have a more pressing reason to be on the road, it probably will give a sense of calmness. If we observe what really is happening, we have reduced our own self worth, reduced our own ego and hence the calmness.
We get into our office. We start off with the usual greetings. We are getting overburdened or so we think. We just want to finish and get away. We look at a task and worry about consequences of the act, what fruits will it get? We worry whether, by doing a particular task, someone else will benefit. We look for chances where we can benefit from a company. But how often have we thought selflessly about doing a task because it is the right thing to do. If i am a software developer in a hospital, rather than worrying whether by writing the correct program, whether I will get a bonus, can I for a moment realize that by doing the right program, a patient's life may be saved? We are not changing anything. Only our attitude to work is changing. I will challenge anyone in an office environment. Think of how your work is benefiting someone other than yourself. Then work will not become meaningless and tiring at all. again, what is happening here? We are submerging our individual expectations from a job and offering our action towards a cause bigger than ourselves. We are in effect reducing our ego!
Thus it can be seen that my making small changes in the way we deal with our day to day life, we can practice the art of reducing our ego and in the process be on the path towards a higher happiness.
As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.
I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.
1. My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
2. Attain Infinite Bliss
Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide
3. The Spirit Of Spirituality
The Spirit Of Spirituality
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