Know how powerful you are

Your future is governed principally by what you think is possible. So if your thinking is limited, your future will be limited. Every human being is endowed with a power that stretches beyond most people’s imagination. Deeply spiritual people know this is true. The reason is that enlightened people “think” differently from other people. They rely on buddhi mind - a level of intuitive intelligence that transcends simple reason and experience - to understand themselves and the world around them. Other people rely on manas - ordinary thought and feeling, which is governed chiefly by what they have experienced in life, what they have been taught, and social expectations. 

There are two big lies that permeate the culture and hold people back. Both are functions of ordinary, limited, conditioned ways of thinking, or manas. The first lie is “You can’t have the wonderful life you’ve dreamed of. It just isn’t out there.” The second lie is “The dream of a great life - health, wealth, love and happiness - is out there, but not for you. You’re not good enough.” These are among the most evil and harmful falsehoods perpetuated by manas. Do not believe them. Whatever your station in life and whatever your history - even if you have known a life of hardship or lack socio-economic status - I assure you that your thoughts about who you are and what you can do are too small. 

There is a Hindu fable that speaks to this issue. There was a lioness that was hunting sheep while she was pregnant. She gave birth and died, and the sheep raised her baby. The little lion soon became certain he was a sheep. He would bleat and, when there was a threat, he would run away in fright. One day an adult lion came along and said “What are you doing?” He grabbed the young lion by its neck, carried it to a pond so it could see its reflection, and said “Look, you are a lion, not a sheep. You are not designed to bleat and run away in fear. You are designed to roar, and let the trees and everything else shake in fear of you. Recognize your power. You are a lion.” 

The moral of the story is: you are a lion, operating under the conditioned illusion that you are a sheep! Every human being is soul (Atman), an expression of the infinite mind of God and of the same substance as God - pure existence, consciousness, bliss. Atman is Brahman; you and God are one. If you could experience this fact, you would realize how powerful you are, free yourself from conditioned ways of thinking and lead a life of unlimited possibilities. The first step toward freedom is to understand this is true. The second step is to “know” it is true by experiencing your own buddhi mind, the intuitive intelligence of your soul, which knows no limitation. 

The surest path to experiencing your own buddhi intelligence is to meditate every day. Even a little daily meditation will free you from the prison of manas. For those of you who find it difficult to meditate, I offer the following exercise. Lie back comfortably, close your eyes and let your awareness go inward. Begin to monitor your breath going in and out. Next, start counting backwards from ten to one. Count very slowly, and between each count, say mentally, “down, down, down” or “deeper, deeper, deeper.” After you reach one, take about 3 minutes to imagine a warm, relaxing feeling flowing in through the tips of your toes, going all the way up your body, through your head. Next, imagine that directly over your head is a sphere of white spiritual light, filled with peace, joy, love and bliss. Now, imagine this light slowly descending through your head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, hips and legs, all the way to your feet, until your entire body is filled with white light. 

Next, imagine that the light begins to expand outward in all directions, embracing your surroundings, family, community, then India, then all the nations of the world - until the earth, and all that is in it are filled with spiritual light. Stay in this expansive love, peace and bliss for as long as you can. When you are ready to end the experience, count from one to five, and on five, open your eyes. Now, see how you feel. The idea of your own limitations should seem very remote to you. The understanding of your own nature and infinitude should seem much more real. Try this exercise once or twice a week to achieve freedom from limited, conditioned ways of thinking. Above all, strive to meditate daily. It is the best way to experience yourself as a lion amidst the sheep. In the next article, I’ll provide you with an easy, well-tested way to meditate and explain why meditation delivers so many benefits to health and well-being.