METHODS FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE EGOIC TENDENCIES `~ Atman Nityananda

GODDESS KALI KILLS THE EGO 

METHODS FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE EGOIC TENDENCIES 

The process of dissolution of the egoic patterns and tendencies it is an integral work and relates to all aspects of Sadhana (to all spiritual practices). In order to free our minds from the selfish patterns requires a daily, diligent, sincere and systematic practice. 

There are also some specific means or methods* by which we can dissolve the egoic tendencies and weaken them 

However, the complete dissolution of the ego is achieved in deep Nirvikalpa Samadhi according to Swami Sivananda.

 This work of dissolution of the egoic patterns and tendencies has two main objectives.

1. We must stop the creation of new patterns and tendencies as well as stop the strengthening of the already existing patterns and tendencies stored in the subconscious mind. 

2. We must eliminate the already existing patterns and tendencies by appropriate means (techniques, practices, methods and strategies).

In order to avoid the creation of new patterns and the strengthening of the old ones, we must avoid or stop the identification with the mind (emotional and thinking, - thoughts, beliefs, emotions, moods, imaginations), with the body and the external objects and change our mechanical reactions from moment to moment. This can be done by several ways. The most fundamental prerequisites are: be moment to moment vigilant and alert, remain self-aware (self-awareness), exercise dispassionate, discriminative self-observation, control the senses and mind, keep the mind focused, exercise the discernment, repeat the name of God or a mantra and prayer.

In order to dissolve the existing egoic tendencies and patterns, it is necessary to exercise moment to moment all these I mentioned above as well as to apply daily some specific for the dissolution of the egoic tendencies techniques and methods.

Thus, although the dissolution of the egoic tendencies and patterns is connected with all aspects of the spiritual practice there are some specific methods or techniques to achieve this directly. 

I mention here some of the most important ways and methods to dissolve the egoic tendencies. The instructions about the application of these methods will be explained in other essays. 

1. Prayer to divinity (Divine Shakti or God) to dissolve this particular egoic tendency or energy.

2. The repetition of a mantra of God´s name or the Divine mother´s name (Om, Om Sri Durgaye namaha, Om Jesus Christ namaha, Om nama Shivay etc.). 

3. The practice of introspection, observation, analysis, reflection, comprehension and dissolution by prayer and visualization.

4. Positive visualization together with respiration, affirmations and prayer

5. By connecting with the divine energies of love, light and feeling that these energies permeate our mind, heart and energy field and purify the negative or the egoic energy.

6.The dissolution of the egoic tendency in the 49 subconscious levels.

7. The one pointed, discriminative enquiry 

8. Another way (if we are capable to do so) is to 'download' the power of the silent space within on the emotion by focusing our attention in the source of the silent space and then without to lose connection with it to put our attention also to the emotion.  

9. Facing the Sun and asking the Sun forces to dissolve the egoic tendency or energy.

10. The method EFT* and the Sedona* method. 

11. Bach flower remedies*.

I consider also very important to purify and clear regularly (especially when we are exposed in negative energy fields, of persons, areas, shops, houses), our subtle bodies, chakras and nadis (vital energy channels) from any negative energy that came from outside or of ours. This can be done by prayer, by reiki or any other way of pranic healing.

In this process of the dissolution of egoic patterns meditation and self-inquiry play a fundamental role because without to be aware of our essence, our true Self, we cannot remain as a detached observer of our mind. It will be extremely difficult to disidentify from the emotional reactions and the thinking patterns as well as to develop discernment, dispassion and the dispassionate discriminative self-observation that are indispensable for the dissolution of the egoic patterns and Self-realization.

Question: Have we (it is necessary) to exercise all the above ways and methods in order to dissolve the ego?

 Answer: No. Each person can select some of them. 

According my experience I consider the prayer and God's name or a mantra as the most important ways to dissolve the ego. I consider also as very important the practices No 3 (Introspection, observation, analysis etc., especially for the first years of sadhana, and No 7 The one pointed, discriminative enquiry (which we must exercise  during all day in order to stop identification with the egoic patterns and facilitate its dissolution).   

I recommend highly the No 3 method (of introspection, observation, analysis etc.), because by practicing this method we will  become capable to apply all other methods easily. This happens because in this method, which the most fundamental one, are included all the elements and capacities (attention, detached and discriminative observation, Self-awareness, prayer, visualization) that are common to almost all other methods, All other methods include some of these elements of attention, detached and discriminative observation, Self-awareness, prayer, visualization but each method  works in a different way.

EFT and Sedona are very simple and effective methods and although have some common elements with my own methods, they approach the dissolution of the egoic tendencies in a different way. However I used these two methods in my own way, according my understanding and experience of the work related to the dissolution of the ego.

 

The usage of Bach flower remedies doesn't require any effort or practice. We simply take some drops of the flowers we need several times during the day. 

 Question: Are these methods complicated?

 Answer: Not at all. They are very simple. As all things we learn in this world, in order to apply effectively each method we must practice it for some time with regularity and sincerity. Gradually we become familiar with it, and we develop the necessary skills and capacities related to it.

Of course some methods are simpler than others. Prayer for example doesn't need any prerequisite or capacity to do it, but perhaps a minimal faith that can be accomplished what we ask. 

Moreover to apply some of them effectively (No 7 and No 8), it is required a greater capacity of discrimination, self-awareness and detached observation than the others.  

NOTE: 

The method EFT*, the Sedona* method:

You can find information about  EFT and Sedona in websites as well as on youtube.

Bach flower remedies*: 

They gently restore the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions such as fear, worry, hatred and indecision which interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole.

http://www.bachflower.com/original-bach-flower-remedies/

THINKING CAUSES EMOTIONS? ~ Atman Nityananda

Desire is a mode of the emotive mind. It has got a power of externalizing the mind. Desire is the fuel; thought is the fire. The thought-fire is kept up by the desire-fuel.”

“…the endless chain is welded out of three component, desire, thought and activity. A desire stimulates a thought; a thought embodies itself in an act.”

~ Swami Sivananda   

THINKING CAUSES EMOTIONS?

Most of the temporary spiritual teachers all over the world assert that thoughts (or the thinking) cause emotions and desires.

If this is true, then the question that arises is this: what causes the mechanical thinking process?

We cannot find any other satisfactory answer except that the thinking is caused by desires and emotions.  Thinking by itself is meaningless, if there isn't a desire or an emotion behind it there is no meaning to think anything.

There is always some desire (or need), some like or dislike behind the emotions and thoughts.

Both desires and emotions cause the mechanical thinking, that's why we cannot stop easily the thinking process, especially when emotions or desires are manifested with intensity.

Certainly desire and emotion create a vicious circle with thinking and the one empowers the other. But as Swami Sivananda says above, it is the desire or the emotion that keeps the mimd in motion.  (The thought-fire is kept up by the desire).

Can you stop your mind when anger is on? Can you stop your mind when gluttony or lust are on? Can you stop your mind when anxiety and  worry are on?

Only when the emotive mind (desires, passions and emotions) becomes calm then the thinking mind becomes calm as well.

And what is the context of mechanical thinking? To get what we want (desire) and avoid what we don't want. We want what we like and gives us pleasure and we don't want what we dislike and gives us pain.

So the core of our behavior is to meet pleasure and to avoid pain. Thus pleasure and pain are the original sources of desires, emotions and desires and emotions of the compulsive, mechanical thinking.

Our thinking mind is a victim of the vital emotional mind due to its impurities in the form of passions, desires, negative emotions. The clarity, sharpness, serenity, reason, discernment and intuition are highly distorted by the vibration of desires, passions and emotions. We fail to control our mind and use it consciously and voluntarily due to distorted and distracted power of desires, passions and emotions. When a desire, passion, impulse or emotions are manifested through the mental vital* rise up and get into the intellect (buddhi) and either through the cloud it or distort it. (Sri Aurobindo)

Relation of desire and emotions

Our lower rajasotamasic ego express itself through desires and uses primary the imagination and the thinking mind to manage what is needed to fulfill the desire.

So, desire causes thinking in relation to the desired object and the means and the way by which the desire will be fulfilled. 

Various emotions accompany the desire and have to do with:  

1. the uncertainty of fulfillment, 

2. the obstacles or the impediments of fulfillment, 

3. the fulfillment and 

4. the non-fulfillment of desire.

1. The uncertainty of its fulfillment causes psychological uncertainty, agony, anxiety, worries, impatience, fear, etc. and the thinking that corresponds to these emotions,

2. The obstacles or impediments that may appear and can cancel its fulfillment, cause dislike, irritation, resentment, anger, hostility, and the thinking that corresponds to these emotions,

3. The fulfillment causees satisfaction, happiness, joy, contentment, and the thinking that corresponds to these emotions,

4. The non-fulfillment causes resentment, disappointment, frustration, depression, sadness, as well as anger and hatred against what caused the non-fulfillment of desire and the thinking that corresponds to these emotions.

Who is free from desires, passions, anger and fear can control fully his mind and rest consciously in his essence, the divine glorious Atman and drink the nectar of peace and Bliss eternal!

26. Absolute freedom (or Brahmic bliss) exists on all sides for those self-controlled ascetics who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realized the Self (Atman, Pure Consciousness).

27. 28. Shutting out (all) external contacts and fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalising the outgoing and incoming breaths moving within the nostrils, with the senses, the mind and the intellect always controlled, having liberation as his supreme goal, free from desire, fear and anger—the sage is verily liberated for ever. 

~  Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 5, “The Yoga of Renunciation of Action” 

 NOTE:

 the mental vital*:  It is a term of SRI AUROBINDO  which explains how functions the vital proper and how its expressions of the impure vital being distort the intellect.

  The vital proper has four parts:  

SRI AUROBINDO

1. The mental vital which gives a mental expression by thought, speech or otherwise to the emotions, desires, passions, sensations and other movements of the vital .

2. The emotional vital which is the seat of various feelings such as, love, joy, sorrow hatred and the rest.
3. The central vital which is the seat of the stronger vital longings, and reactions e.g. ambition, pride, fear, love of fame, attractions repulsions, desires, passions of various kinds and the field of many vital energies.
4. The lower vital which is occupied with desires and emotions such as make the greater party of the daily life e.g. food desire, sexual desire, small likings and dislikings, vanity, quarells, anger at blame, little wishes of all kind and a numberless host of other things.

Their respective seats are:
1. Mental vital the region from the throat to the heart.
2. Emotional vital its seat is the outer heart and the inner heart behind it it is related with the soul.
3. The central vital has as its seat the region from the heart to navel.
4. The lower vital below the navel.

We must not confuse the mind with the vital although the vital has a mind element transfused in it. Mind and vital are mixed up on the surface of the consciousness, but they are quite separate forces in themselves.

The mental vital is a sort of mediator between vital emotion, desire, impulsion, etc and the mind. It expresses the desires, emotions, feelings, passions, ambitions, possessive and active tendencies of the vital and throws them into mental .- the pure imaginations or dreams of greatness, happiness, etc. in which men indulge are one peculiar form of the mental vital. It is through the mental vital that the vital passions, emotions, impulses, desires, rise up and get into the buddhi (intellect) and either cloud it or distort it.

 

Bhole Baba ki jai!

Bhole Sri Haidakhandi Bhagavan ki jai!

Bholo Sri Haidakhandeshwari mata ki jai!

Jai mahamaya ki jai!

The primary obstacles of our spiritual transformation ~ Atman NItyananda

The primary obstacles of our spiritual transformation 

Procrastination, boredom, laziness and unpleasantness to do the scheduled daily practice is one of the biggest obstacles to our spiritual transformation.

Along with these self-justification completes the recipe of failure. The ego has infinite ways to justify itself.

The majority fail to awaken and finally realize fully the Self due to the above tamasic expressions of ego. 

However the biggest obstacles of enlightenment are lust, pride and ambition along with the fear that accompanies all other egoic tendencies. But we have first to address and overcome the primary tamasic obstacles, because without a systematic, organized daily practice we cannot work efficiently and eliminate all other egoic tendencies. 

Without a dedicated, sincere and regular practice, we cannot drink the water of immortal life; we will remain romantic devotees of spirituality by reading spiritual books, attending lectures or seminars, by browsing the Internet, etc., until something to shake us and make us  practice with determination and dedication.