When we visit a temple or any other place of worship, we find that the energy of the place is different from other places. Then if we go to a mall or a restaurant, the vibrations of those places are of a different variety. This is because the thoughts people have when they visit these places are different. When we go to a place of worship, our thoughts are mostly pure, peaceful, charitable. Day after day, year after year, when people create such thoughts in that place, the vibrations there are imbued with those qualities. Those vibrations then influence the minds of those who go there.
If someone who is troubled visits a temple and sits down for a while, the vibrations of the place calm them down. Many have experienced that in that relaxed state of mind, possible solutions to their problems occur to them. What made it possible? The vibrations. The vibes were created by others, but they benefit everyone. The same can happen in our families. We need not expect or wait for others to change in order for us to feel better. We can change our way of thinking and behaviour. The resulting vibrations will sooner or later touch others and they will change.
We all want to live in a better world and hope that such a world will come about. Will our mere hope make it happen? If we want a better world, we have to create it, starting with a better me. When enough numbers of people do this, the world will become better. The first step is to become soul conscious – have the awareness that I am a soul, a sentient point of light dwelling in the body and giving it life. I am the one who thinks, speaks, and acts through the physical medium of the body. Like me, other too are souls playing their part in this world. This spiritual perspective brings equality in our vision, and also empathy. We can make efforts to play our role to the best of our ability. When we do that, we learn, grow, and progress, which brings satisfaction and happiness.
The problem starts when we begin to compare ourselves with others and compete with them. This competition to get ahead of someone else makes the journey of life stressful. We forget to enjoy life’s small blessings as our entire attention is focused on surpassing the other person. When this desire becomes overriding, we may even ignore our conscience and cut corners in order to achieve our objective. In the meantime if the other person meets with a tragedy, will we help them? We might have, had we not been competing with them. But now, we might well rejoice at their fate as we leave them behind. In other words, the competition robs us of our decency and humanity. The prevailing culture of competition in society is creating such individuals, whose sole concern is achieving their personal goals, at any cost. Such single-minded focus can take us far, financially and professionally. But is life all about that? We may rack up enviable successes, but in the process if our mind is filled with ego, anger, and jealousy, what will be the quality of our consciousness? Material achievements may bring us financial security, comforts, and even fame, but not necessarily peace and happiness – certainly not if we have hurt others in our pursuit of power and profit.
External attainments do not enrich us within. It is actually the other way round – the higher the quality of our awareness, so will be our actions, and the happier we will be. We will earn the goodwill and blessings of others, and success will come more easily. The journey of life itself will be enjoyable and we will arrive at our destination safe, happy, and content. It is up to us to decide how we want to make this journey.
B.K. Shivani is a well-known motivational speaker and Rajyoga teacher.