(1) Life is motion, consciousness in motion; and motion effecting all matter is ‘vibration’. In the beginning, it was all consciousness. Consciousness emanated vibration called the ‘word’ or ‘sound’, i.e., ‘shabad,’ which projected the entire cosmic world. This’ vibration’ is the first projection of primal energy or infinite power, from which infinite types of vibrations sprouted, fructifying into numerous types and forms of matter. Matter is this nothing but an expression of energy. In other words, existence of varied forms of matter is directly attributed to the process of combination and permutation of infinite variety of vibration. Different ranges of electricity, sound, etc.; all are modes of vibrations of the same nature in either, though they differ in frequency and quality. Thoughts, desires, actions, etc. are also made up of vibrations, but differ in their phenomena because of different character, frequency and intensity. Ever thing in the universe, whether living or non – living, having been created by certain types of vibrations, also emits the same type of vibration in the cosmos, which are recorded by the cosmic infinitude and emits all types of vibrations affecting everything in the universe. Human soul is an integral part of the ‘prime soul’ or the supreme consciousness, in very much the same way as a ray of light belongs to its source – ‘the Sun’. The two differ only in degree (power), but in essence (quality) they are the same. Of all other living forms in the universe, human form is the most highly evolved being, as it has the exquisite faculty of discrimination, called ‘intellect’. For this quality, man is said to have been created by God ‘in his own image’. Thus, human form is the cream of cosmic creation. Human mind is endowed with the discriminating power of intelligence. Mind is nothing but a subtle phenomenon of thinking. It operates through thoughts; if thoughts do not exist mind loses its identity. Because of its multifarious assignments, such as ambition, emotion, sentiments, feeling, instinct, inclination, imagination, volition, etc., the mind has acquired its mercurial nature. Acting in collusion with the sense organs, the mind rouses the five nerve-centres in the ‘Consciousness,’ and they in turn, propel the executing organs to activity. They are:
LUST
ANGER
GREED
ATTACHMENT
EGO,
Which affects the intellect, distort its power of judgment and discrimination, and drive the man to act as a ‘slave’ to ‘mind’. It is therefore, essential for the man to tame the mind and harness the power of thoughts. Mind can be compared to the ocean. Just as wind causes ripples on the surface of the water, so are thought-waves caused on the surface of the mind. Certain strong waves of thought dive deep into the sub-conscious mind; they are like under-currents at the sea-bed. Mind is never calm and vacant. Rumbling waves of desires, ego, ambition, craving, anxiety of possession, attachment, etc. always disturb equipoise. Although intellect is superior to ‘mind’ because of its power of judgment and discrimination, yet the man is easily amenable to the fascination of sensual gratification. Thus, ‘intellect’ plays a puppet in the hand of the mind. Mind is the link between ‘sense world’ and the ‘soul realm’. Mind operates through thought, which is a subtle, vital, living, force; capable of acquiring infinite power. Thought is a subtle wave or vibrations emanating from the mind are called ‘thoughts’. There are infinite types of vibrations of love, hatred, envy, jealousy, anger, sensuality, etc., in the cosmos. Depending on the ‘principle of like attracts like’, we attract certain types of vibrations from the cosmos according to our ‘instinct’ of previous and present life. Consequently, these vibrations are potentised by frequent repetition. In this way, we in turn generate and transmit these vibrations in the cosmos. Everything there is in the universe in the material from (seen) had its origin first in thought (unseen). What we speak is a mere expression of thought. Poetry, a great writing, a fine piece of art, or a science and engineering marvel are all the results of thought. Thought is, in fact, the primal force of the genesis at the back of all creation. The present universe is the cumulative result of our collective thoughts and feelings. The universe, in reality, is the projection of our mind, which in itself is the store-house of computer of our acquired impression, which is expressing themselves in impulses and thoughts. Every thought has a mental image, hue, from, dimension, etc. It is the:
POWER OF THOUGHTS
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Genesis of past thoughts and actions, Vehicle of the present life and Seed of future propensity,affecting life individually and collectively, and transforming the physical and mental world continuously and imperceptibly. Thoughts travel far and wide in all directions at a lightning speed, carrying subtle notes, which are registered in the cosmic records. Powerful thought-vibrations travel at a tremendous velocity and are received through mental antennas of those who are receptive to such vibrations in the same frequency. Thoughts when focussed and directed become dynamic forces and produce deep impression. You can well imagine the ‘intensity of sun-rays’ when they are concentrated through a magnifying glass (double-convex lens) on to piece of paper. Every one is living in one’s own world of thoughts, continuously absorbing or repelling the vibrations of other thoughts recorded it the ether, according to a piece of paper. Every thought is a link in the endless chain of cause and effects to produce:
Desire - stimulating drive; Thought - manifesting in action, and Activity - weaving the web of character, fate and destiny.Pure thoughts are Devine forces which pervade human existence right from the birth. They radiate joy, hope, solace and peace to the entire humanity. Persistent thoughts of egoistic desire, selfishness, and covetousness breed, develop and nourish anger, hatred, jealousy, revenge and the like, which give rise to malicious tendencies leading to heinous actions. In the other hand, noble thoughts of love, compassion, kindness, etc. produce noble men and saints. Power of thoughts lies latent in us, and can be developed to make or man our own life and destiny. We are continuously attracting to ourselves forces and condition most akin to those of our own thoughts. Our particular thought within. It is, therefore, important for us to recognise as to how do we live in our thought-world. Our thoughts instantly reflect on our face and features. They chasten, chisel and fashion our countenance, which is an index of our inner character. The facial expressions expose the true state and substance of our mind; however we may try to hide it. Our face and eyes are:
sensitive registering apparatus, faithful reflectors, clear mirrors, and true expressionsof our inner feelings. Every thought produces a strong vibration in every cell of our boy, and leaves a deep impression on our sub-conscious mind. Impression from the depth of the subconscious mind come up in the from of thought-vibrations or mental images, and direct our actions accordingly. Therefore, we are the makers of our own habits, circumstances, character and fate. These thought-vibrations are transmuted to every fibre and nerve of our physical body, and cause electrical, chemical and biological changes, affecting our physical and mental condition. Every good and sublime thought conjures a noble spirit and initiates good action, contributing to our health and happiness. This also has an invigorating effect in improving our physical ad mental condition, even during moments of depression and exhaustion. On the contrary, every depressing and negative thought has an adverse effect on every call of our body, causing physical and mental exhaustion. Most of the present-day diseases such as hypertension, joint-pains, stomach ulcer, insomnia, spondilosis, chronic indigestion, heart-ailments and many other diseases, have their origin psyche, i.e., habitual negative thinking, which cause substantial abnormality in different body-tissues. It, therefore, accrues that mere mode of thinking can create heaven or hell for life. It implies, therefore, that thoughts having tremendous force can:
Execute desires and passions, Fashion our countenance, Develop our character, Work out circumstances, Influence and transform our behaviour, Shape our destiny, and Contribute towards shaping the universe.The force of thought, thus, works:
systematically, subtly, imperceptibly, consistently, and dynamically.We have free will to choose between:
virtue and vice, friends and foes, good and bad, happiness and sorrow, health and disease, and heaven and hell,All these conditions are the outcome of our own thoughts and deeds, and are subject to our discretion. We have the free choice of thought, feelings and actions. So, it is upto us alone to discriminate, decide and work for a better and sublimer life. Our thoughts make us what we are here and hereafter. Happiness or misery is, therefore, the result of pur own thoughts and actions. Poverty, misery or misfortune, may, in fact, prove a blessing in disguise, as through higher and constructive thoughts, one may develop humility, endurance, faith, etc. conversely, affluence and luxury may breed inertia passion, arrogance, faithlessness and resultant vices. The present state of our lives had been shaped by our own thoughts, and if we desire to change it for the better, we have to discriminate wisely and choose the higher and sublimer course of thoughts. In the world of today, most people believe in epicurean philosophy, i.e., ‘eat, drink and be merry’. This is a devilish idea and leads to sorrow and miseries. We should ‘eat-to-live’ and not ‘live-to-eat’. Our thoughts are dissipated in many directions and in order to cultivate and develop their power, the have to be focussed to a single point. With purity, concentration and meditation, thoughts can develop tremendous mental power and strong will. Only calm, serene, cheerful and pure mind, with faith and devotion can concentrate and meditate. Higher and spiritual thoughts, sustained by persistent meditation, can intuitively ‘tap’ or ignite our latent soul, and we can partake and enjoy peace, joy, bliss and love of the DIVINE REALM. There is no physical or mental limitation of time and space in the process of spiritual working. The spirit transcends all limitations and pervades and engulfs the Universe at a lightening speed. For the development of power of pure and sublime thoughts, it is essential to resist and avoid all lower, obnoxious thoughts and impulses of worry, fear, anger, envy, sensuality, etc., which disturb and distract the mind. These obnoxious thoughts are the root cause of all our worries and mental tensions. The impure negative thoughts should not be entertained; they gain strength by repetition. They should be nipped in the bud by ignoring and avoiding the, as soon as they appear. Even unimportant, useless and irrelevant thoughts should be avoided, as they rob us of our peace of mind and contribute toward mental tension. They should not be allowed to take roots. They should be replaced by kind, loving, devotional and inspiring thoughts and memories. Mind assumes a teeming variety of modification. Mere understanding of the illusoriness of such modifications will not help; you have to develop the power to negate them, let the modifications arise, but do not get yourself involved in the. In the beginning, controlling the thoughts of passion appears formidable and impossible. Never try to suppress your thoughts. Suppressed thoughts are more dangerous. They get stored in the sub-conscious mind in the form of seeds. Whenever the conscious control is weakened, they manifest themselves with a bang. Therefore, the negative desires should be substituted with positive ones, or sublimated by analytical reasoning and non-cooperation with them. Light dispels darkness. Likewise, every higher sublime thought is a ray of light, which clears the dark clouds of evil thoughts. Feelings and motives behind our thoughts and actions are very important and decisive. They should be: For the practice of concentration and meditation:
POWER OF THOUGHTS
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pure, sublime, and constructive.Lower, impure feelings are to be:
avoided, repelled, transmuted, sublimated, and spiritualized.But it is an uphill task as our mind easily flows in to the old grooves of lower vicious thoughts. By its very nature, the mind always goes for material things and worldly pleasures; but is never contented. Although it recognises the consequences of its entire doings yet it cannot resist the temptations. Conquest of the mind is more difficult than the conquest of the world. The only was it can be tamed and subdued is by a superior, higher, and nobler love than the love for worldly allurements. This superior love is in the taste of Nam or Shabad-the ‘Wordless Word’, realised through meditation in the sublime company of word-personified, Enlightened Masters. This love loses its wavering nature and is made completely calm. Otherwise a bad master, it then becomes and excellent servant. Regular spiritual meditation is the fire in which the obnoxious thoughts and impulses can be burnt, and is the quickest and best way of cultivating mental peace and poise, and of preventing mental tension, which is the real killer of ‘self’. In the process of weaning the mind away from vicious thoughts of external objects, and fixing it on divinity, ‘Simran’ (repetition of God’s name) is very effective. Meditation is a dynamic spiritual force to antidote and counter-act the negative vicious thoughts of hatred, lust, anger, greed and pride, and to substitute them with positive and virtuous thoughts of humility, purity, kindness and love. When meditation becomes regular and devotional, our mind becomes more potent and strong to resist the temptation of lower destructive vicious thoughts. Gradually and imperceptibly, the spiritual effect of meditation will transform and sublimate our thoughts which will spontaneously reflect on our countenance, environment, dealings, habits, character and fate. Thus, new, nobler and spiritual grooves and avenues will be formed in our mind which will slowly, but surely, prepare us for the attainment of ‘God-head’, i.e., Consciousness of Divine Existence, Divine Love, Happiness and Bliss. God resides in our hearts, and the only was to worship Him is by cultivating sublime thoughts and meditating on His Name. With regular practice of meditation, thought-waves subside and in that perfect stillness of mind, the self-effulgent soul shines forth.
POWER OF THOUGHTS
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silence, solitude, regularity, guidance and company ofthe awakened and illuminated soul is very essential. It must be realised that thoughts are means of externalization and objectification of the Universe. Thoughts activate and express themselves in us through ‘I’, ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’. When our thoughts are spiritualized by mediation, ego consciousness is transmuted into Divine Consciousness, and our mind works in tune with, and as an instrument of the Divine Will. Determination and persistent striving is needed to build up the desired character, which is the deciding factor to resolve all issues and problems of life – good or bad – and make or mar life. The circumstances, environment and fate are the materialisation of our own thoughts, and we have no right to put the on us of our miseries on other. Peace and prosperity can be ensured for the entire humanity only by generating a new thought-force. Propagation of teachings and philosophies of Saints and ‘God-men’ will go a long way towards the creation of sublime world of grace. One should also cultivate the habit of reading the literature and writings of holy men to purify one’s thoughts. Thoughts are the cause or seeds of all our physical actions, emotions and impulses. So, if we want to change our life, character and fate, we have to strike at the very root and transform our thoughts for the betterment, through:
- sublimation of our consciousness, - faith in God, - meditation on His Name, - company of Enlightened Souls, and - Grace of the Guru.In this way, our own life, as well as the civilization of the world, can be sublimated and ushered into the Divine Realm.
...If anyone wishes to obtain the pdf of (Guru Pyare) Bauji's (aka Khoji) "The Power of Thoughts" please feel free to e-mail me. Dhan Guru Nanak :)
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