What we believe to be true is the scaffolding upon which we construct the lives we lead. Beliefs have a major impact on our life, they create the vision we hold, and this shapes our attitude towards life and relationships. The beliefs we hold are bound within our culture, both the grand culture of the world we are born into and the small culture of our family and local community. Are these beliefs real? Questioning beliefs often produces fear and anxiety. How often do we question and test those beliefs depends a great deal on our observations, experiences and how aware we are of what is happening within. For example, at one time a belief that the world was flat was the basis of experiment and understanding.It was only with exploration that the belief was dispelled forever. This new belief consequently changed how life was lived and experienced. The old belief was proved to be an illusion, not reality.
We live in a world of matter and our beliefs are shaped by what we see (matter) and know (matter). The great majority of people believe that not only do they inhabit a world of matter, but that they too are matter. So many believe they are just a body. Western medicine divides that body into parts, and deals with one part at a time.Whereas Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine, look at the whole body as a system of interactions that have a rhythm, and they observe the waves and webs of interactions. Quantum physics looks at the micro reality, observing that matter is in constant flux and does not remain static at all, which means that even the cells of our bodies are not the same as a few moments ago. Matter is ever changing and the interaction between matter and consciousness is worth studying.
In eastern philosophy, for a reality to be classified as truth, it needs to be always and forever true. Therefore, to understand what reality is, we need to position ourselves in eternity. When we talk of eternity we enter the realms of the spirit, the world of spiritual understanding. We are beings of peace, love and blisswhovibrate light and power. This spiritual understanding, ebbs and flows. Sometimes we are aware of this, that is we are ‘awake’, and sometimes we are not. However, during the times we are not, it does not mean that this reality is non-existent. Meditation is an awareness awakening exercise, itenables us to experience the reality of eternity and of the self. The more we are aware, the more these experiences become the subtle scaffolding of the relationship we have with the self, nature,
and life itself.
Since what is true is eternal and long-lasting, emotions cannot be regarded as true. They are fleeting but still often impact and create our experience of reality. We must therefore be careful of not basing our perception of reality on fleeting emotions. If we wish to experience truth, and baseour reality on truth,experiencingthe spiritual being, whose true, eternal state is of peace, is essential. When human beings feel afraid, angry or out of balance emotionally, they long to return to a state of peace, because peace and non-violence are our deep
and true nature.
There are two important avenues to follow to live in a state of truth and reality, and not be misdirected by illusion. The first is to find time for meditation, each day, as a regular practice. The second is to experiment, and cultivate the habit of being a silent, detached observer. It is in this awareness that we can recognize and clearly see what is true
and what is illusion.
We can clearly see that matter is out of balance from the crises that the world is facing. The illusion is that we believe we can do nothing about it. The truth is that we can. When enough of us awaken to the understanding that we are spiritual beings and that within us all is the power of peace then everything can change. We have the power to reinstate the balance that we all wish for.
There is a state of peace available to all and there is a God of love available to all. It is essential for each one to be given the power to move from a place of insecurity to a place of security. We need to be silently aware of what our inner world is telling us, observe and understand what is happening inside and change it around. When all of us do this – the world will change around too.
Valeriane Bernard isthe Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University’s UN representative
in Geneva.