One of the keys to personal transformation is self knowledge. The ancient sages exhort us to “know thyself”. Indeed, this is the whole purpose of a spiritual practice. Looking inward is all one needs to know and understand oneself, the universe and life.
There are many doors that open inward for self discovery. One of these is through the understanding of our emotions. Taking a peep at any one of our unpleasant feelings and then tracing it all the way to its root cause will invariably bring us face to face with fear.
Fear is the mother of all negative feelings. All other negative feelings are merely manifestations of fear in various degree of intensity. According to Lester Levenson, the founder of the Release Technique, all our feelings and “wants” can be traced back to our need to fulfill 3 primary wants – wanting approval, wanting control and wanting safety.
In my opinion, these 3 primary wants themselves have their roots in fear – fearing separation or loneliness, fearing loss of control and fearing loss of security. As we trace the root of these 3 fears further, we come face to face with the primary cause – the erroneous belief in a separate and distinct self.
In order for us to sustain a belief in a distinct self, we must naturally separate ourselves from the Source of All. Since the Source is the provider of everything, this separation further brings with it a sense of loss and in particular a sense of loss of security and control.
To end fear, we must then rectify this primary erroneous belief.
HOW TO CHANGE THIS ERRONEOUS BELIEF?
Changing a belief as set and deeply imprinted as this requires persistent and diligent effort. We are so used to experiencing life from this limited physical perspective (body) that we are almost totally unaware of our unlimited spiritual aspect (spirit/mind).
To change this fundamental erroneous belief, we must therefore remind ourselves constantly – daily if possible, every moment ideally – of our spiritual dimension.
To do that, I start my day with meditation on this spiritual aspect of my being. I acknowledge myself to be a spiritual being, with a small portion of this awareness in the physical body. I take time to get in touch with this spiritual aspect – getting cenered in the BE-ing. In doing so, I find and experience peace.
When you are in the NOW, which is what you experience when you are just BE-ing, there is no fear. After all, fear is expecting what is undesirable to come about. Hope, on the other hand, is expecting what is desirable to come about. Both fear and hope dwells into the future. Fear cannot exist in the present moment. So when you are in the NOW, there is no fear.
If you do this meditation daily, you will find more peace. Fear and all its many manifestations will gradually leave you alone. Fear diminishes and peace increases. Being connected with your spiritual aspect increases also your intuition.
In the Lankavatara sutta, which is a Mahayana scripture, the entire mind system in the universe is described as being categorized into the Universal Mind, the Intuitive Mind and the Individual Mind.
The Universal Mind is impersonal. It simply responds to all your intentions and desires. It is the genie that says “Your wish is my command”. The Individual Mind is our egoic mind that needs to constantly analyze everything. It sees itself as a separate entity from the Source, and therefore fears separation and feels insecure. The Intuitive Mind is the link between the Universal Mind and the Individual Mind. It is able to see things from the bird’s eyes view – a bigger picture – yet is able to be completely detached from the needs of the ego. The Intuitive Mind is always right. Unlike the Individual Mind which is clouded by the ego, it does not err.
When we are in our Being, we can directly access the Intuitive Mind, which makes us more intuitive. This is called “following our heart” and is free from the restrictions of the ego. As we become more and more intuitive, we begin to see our lives falling into place. Things and people tend to happen just at the right time for the right reasons. We can be said to be in the “zone” or in the state of least resistance. Happiness, abundance and good health come naturally and easily.
CONCLUSION
So, if you want to transform your life, do not underestimate this simple task of meditating and reminding yourself of your larger spirituality daily – and every moment, if possible. It can lead to dramatic transformation.