Since January 2015, I have been soaking in the profound sacred knowledge of Upanishads (literally means sitting at the feet of master), which is the highest truth about consciousness through the daily satsang of Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji). Many powerful truths were revealed about consciousness (Eesha).
In the first verse of Ishavasya Upanishad, it declares: Eeshaavaasyamidham Sarvam Yathkincha Jagathyaam Jagath – meaning “Everything is Consciousness, the whole thing is filled with consciousness and intelligence”.
And the fourth verse defines the quality of Eesha: Anejadhekam Manaso Javeeyo Nainadhdheva Aapnuvanpurvamarshath | ThadhDhaavathonyanathyetha Thishttath Thasminnapo Maatharishva dhadhDhaathi || It means “It, Consciousness, is unmoving, Oneness, and swifter than the mind. The gods of senses cannot overtake and go beyond it as it has swiftly moved ahead. Remaining situated, it outruns all the other running ones. In it, the life energy moves and expands itself in space, supporting all activities.”
Even Guru Gita talks about Oneness with everything as the highest truth:
“Oneself becoming one with everything, a person should perceive the highest Truth. Nothing is higher than the highest. All this world is without any separate abode. Having obtained its perception, devoid of all attachments, One should remain solitary, free from desires, and tranquil by his grace. Whether attained or not attained, whether great or small, It should always be enjoyed, indeed, without desires and with a contented mind. The all-knowing state is that in which the embodied soul becomes one with everything, so say the wise men. Then, ever-blissful and always tranquil, he rejoices wherever he may be. Wherever he lives, indeed, that place moreover becomes an abode of merit.”
The key to note is the deepest level of Consciousness is “Oneness”. There is oneness between you and the beings you have fear or greed, or you and the whole. “Ekam” (एकम्) can only be translated as “Oneness” not “One” because, in “One”, internal evolution, expression is not possible; but, in “Oneness”, internal expansion, evolution, everything is possible. “One” is dead whereas “Oneness” is alive and living.
According to Swamiji, Oneness is also a spiritual power and for anything to become a power in us, it has to be experienced while we are in the body, only that will be power for us when we leave the body. If we want to be established in powerfulness, the best technique is to meditate on “Ekam” (एकम्), “Oneness”! The experience of Shivoham (I am divine) becomes a power when we are in the body, the Cosmic Oneness which becomes power while we are in the body, will be power even when we leave this body. He urged us to consciously decide to pay attention to the experience of Oneness, that very conscious decision will make us constantly flow towards that Oneness experience. Then we will make that experience into a reality in our life. He added that first thing we should decide to experience Oneness with is our own body. This will give us the science and power in handling our body.
In the last few weeks, I had been contemplating on the experience of Oneness with the body. From my experience, here are some useful tips on science of handling the body:
- Declare the intention to experience ONENESS. The words we utter to our self consciously has power to constantly remind us of the highest truth of Oneness. By thinking, contemplating, empowering the Oneness experience continuously, we allow this truth to become the center of our life, our very bio memory.
- Identify a list of incompletions with own body. There are many wrong ideas and cognitions that we have been given by parents, schools, peers, media and self since childhood about our body. What are the words you use to describe your body? How do you feel about these words? What are the ideas like you carry about your body? Do you feel guilty about your food patterns, addiction or abuse? Pen down the long list of wrong cognitions about our body.
- Do completion with body parts. Only by building deep friendliness and completion with this body intelligence, we can unleash the power to handle our body. So start completing with all parts of our body.
- Take Sattvic diet. Sattvic food are vegetarian food which keeps the body light and gives mental clarity by awakening the subtle grooves of the brain. The ancient rishis and sages recommend a prolonged intake of Sattvic food which evokes freshness, enthusiasm, lightness, calmness and clarity in one’s being.
- Break the laziness pattern. Laziness means maintaining a habitual mental pattern of behaviour in response to new situations. Physical laziness means experiencing a constant state of lethargy & dullness in the physical body. As long as we don’t physically become active, the suppressed physical pain starts happening in our body. The way to get out of laziness is by restoring the integrity with our body through completion and start taking ownership of the body.
- Design your body with Yoga. With daily practice of yoga, we not only purify the body from the toxins and impurities from modern lifestyle, we can also sculpt and design a new yogic body as we want. A yogic body is one that reflects the Cosmic Source without distortion. A Yogic body is about squeezing the body and taking the Tamas (laziness or dull energy) out of it. The amount of pain we experience is directly related to Tamas in our body.
- Listening to your body. Listening to what is happening outside and inside is Shravana. Constantly listening to what your body intelligence is telling you leads you to spiritual re-birthing, spiritual revolution and conscious awakening.
- Stretch your body-mind to its peak capacity. In Yoga Sutra of Patanajli, Sutra 181, Chapter 4,Verse 19, it states “I am therefore I think”, Swamiji shared that only when your body is in its peak, you will have respect for body and move to mind, only when you have respect for mind, you will move to consciousness and know therefore I AM, therefore I work. You won’t know the glory of body and mind until your mind reaches its peak. You will not reach your consciousness till your body and mind work at its peak being highly productive. You will not know the glory of ‘I AM’ till your body and mind reach its peak. There are many yogic technologies such as samyama and kriya given by the enlightened masters which can bring the body-mind to its peak capacity.
In essence, the human body is the microcosm (miniature) of the macrocosm (Universe). By bringing Oneness with our physical body itself will lead us to experience Oneness with the Consciousness, the Whole. Namaste 😀