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| Atman Nityananda at Babaji's Ashram Hairakhan Vishva Mahadam |
Ignorance and illusions
Ignorance and illusions go together and assume diverse forms of expression. Living in ignorance (not being conscious of our true Self) keeps us in a dreamlike state, the main characteristics of which are living in identification (primarily with body and mind, not be conscious forgetfulness (of our true Self), attachment, fear, separation, having false beliefs and illusions about ourselves, life and God and developing a wide variety of defects such as pride, lust, arrogance, greed, anger, jealousy, guilt, envy, hatred and pairs of opposites such as like-dislike, attraction-repulsion or aversion, sympathy-antipathy, love-hatred. All of these ultimately cause us misery and suffering.
Some important illusions when living in ignorance:
Perceiving and believing that the body is ourselves, instead of Consciousness, that is, identifying what we Are (Consciousness) with what we are not (Body-mind-ego).Seeing the temporal as eternal and not seeing the eternal reality (Consciousness).
Seeing ourselves and the world as what it is not.
Seeing the changeable as immutable and not seeing (realizing) the ever-present immutable truth (Consciousness).
Seeing the world outside of us and separate from us (Consciousness), when it is within us (Consciousness) and one with us (Consciousness).
Living as if we will never die when the only certainty is that death will happen soon (even 100 years later is too soon).
Believing that happiness can be found in objects, pleasures, relationships, fame, recognition, acquisitions and success, and ignoring that it resides in the heart, in our divine essence.
Believing that the obstacles to our happiness are outside of us and not within us, in reality, it is us, that is, the ego that we mistakenly take as ourselves with all its tendencies and programming.
Believing that others are responsible for what we experience within, (worries, anxiety, annoyance, fear, hurt, anger, discomfort, etc.) when in fact, the cause is within us (our programming, ignorance, emotional, energetic and mental patterns and tendencies and our beliefs).
Believing that we need to be loved to experience love when in reality, we are love and can experience love despite the attitude and behaviour of others towards us.
Seeking stability and security outside ourselves, in the outer world, where everything is unstable and changing.
Believing that we do not live in ignorance or delusion while we live, that we know while we do not know.
Believing that the affairs of the outer life are more important than those of the Soul.
Believing that the conditions for practice will be better tomorrow than today. However, we can only practice today (or better now), and tomorrow will be a new tomorrow, which in reality will never come as the only thing that exists is now.