Empty Mind: Is it Devil’s Workshop?

It is said that If a falsehood is repeated again and again, it appears as truth. A big example is the mere existence of this phrase “empty mind is the devil’s workshop”, let alone its identity as PROVERB. You may rise your eye brow first, let me explain why you need not.

 

Let’s see the first two words- empty mind. What is mind packed with? With the stream of unceasing thoughts. So the straight meaning is that thoughtless mind is the devil’s workshop. What a thrill and bless to acquire such state! Certainly the devil can not stand there to continue his workshop. If there is no tools and business to do, how the workshop exists!

 

Being little liberal with the proverb, redefine the words empty-mind as state of mind with no especial business to engage with, the state at which we can feel our mind as being bored and seek something to engage with that kills boring. Then, is bored mind the devil’s workshop? Plainly speaking yes.

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With gross classification, mind is in three states; grief, happiness and the intermediate - neither happy nor grieve but bored. Grieve or pain never weaken a person, they rather strengthen. Without grief, a thrill of insecurity, restlessness of some unknown challenge, we seldom grow. However, the bored mind finds the situation boring and seeks something to escape from it. Out of curiosity we practice many things which later becomes the habit. All the addictions and the bad habits and their psycho-somatic effect are what we welcome during our boring state. I like to acknowledge that The matter that describes US best is not our career, actions or belief, but our choices and the motives during the free time of the unengaged mind. At that state we seek something pleasing and embrace the quick source which unmistakably happens as the Devil.

 

But in deep, the devils is not outside. Neither it is binding us and making victim. It is within us and nurtured by the energy we feed as INTEREST. Perhaps the following story better describes it than the many logics.

Junaid was going through the market-place of the town with his disciples. And it was his way to take any situation and use it. A man was dragging his cow by a rope, and Junaid said ’Wait’ to the man, and told his disciples ’Surround this man and the cow. I am going to teach you something.’

The man stopped – Junaid was a famous mystic – and he was also interested in what he was going to teach these disciples and how he was going to use him and the cow. And Junaid asked his disciples ’I ask you one thing: who is bound to whom? Is the cow bound to this man or is this man bound to this cow?’ Of course, the disciples said ’The cow is bound to the man. The man is the master, he is holding the rope, the cow has to follow him wherever he goes. He is the master and the cow is the slave.’

And Junaid said ’Now, see.’ He took out his scissors and cut the rope – and the cow escaped.

The man ran after the cow, and Junaid said ’Now look what is happening! Now you see who is the master; the cow is not interested at all in this man – in fact, she is escaping.’ And the man was very angry, he said ’What kind of experiment is this ?’ But Junaid said to his disciples ’And this is the case with your mind. All the nonsense that you are carrying inside is not interested in you. You are interested in it, you are keeping it together somehow – you are becoming mad in keeping it together somehow. But you are interested IN it. The moment you lose interest, the moment you understand the futility of it, it will start disappearing; like the cow it will escape.

Are you feeling bored? it is the precious gift, an inner space created to feel ourselves. Watch your impulses to choose as an escape.

Bored + aware = God’s workshop.

Bored + unaware = Devil’s workshop.

What do you think?

 

Technorati Tags: Empty mind,Devil's workshop

Intention Speaks Louder than Action

Intention speaks louder than action. Does it contradict action speaks louder than words? I like to start this post with a story.

Once a dacoit entered into the bedroom of a landlord, searched valuable thing around, found nothing, and sought the safe exit. While escaping from the room, the owner woke up. To be safe, he stabbed the owner and ran away. Fortunately, the stab became boon to the owner helping to release the secretion from the old wound of his stomach.

At other time, a doctor was performing a operation of stomach cancer to a patient. He tried his best, unfortunately the operation failed and the patient died. The result becomes unfortunate one.

Photo Courtesy

We are living in strange world generalizing our activities with an industrial process, where the final effect or result is more important than the process. The long story behind the realized effect is apparently forgotten; if the result appears to be acceptable, the story can be ignored. You may argue against the mechanization of your life style. If you believe the success on producing more favorable results, being top on the competition, and generating more facilities, you may have already been victimized by the mechanization in first place.

We all concern in the seen results. But what happening to the doer, what is affecting him- the result or the intention? On the perspective of result, the dacoit seems to be rewarded and the doctor to be punished. But somewhere in a corner, we still have respect of intention. If we go deeper into doer, intention is what he is responsible for. In making intention there is freedom. However, for the result, there is necessity of meeting several combinations, and hence his responsibility is less. For the law of life, intending to do something and realizing the result are qualitatively same. Thinking of killing/damaging someone/something but can not do (may be because of getting caught, lack of determination or whatever reason there may be) and be actually able to do, are same qualitatively; the degree, however, may be difference. In both cases, the intention is same and they will attract similar type of the negative energy field to experience, and vice versa. The intention of sucking lemon or actually do sucking brings similar reaction in our living mechanism; the mind assumes both phenomena as same.

Alternatively speaking, the result is the attribute of time. It is sometime in future and it is not sure that will happen as we desired. Hence, the result oriented perception do not bring the peace in doer as it chases away from the present. On the contrary, the attributes like happiness, peace and the satisfaction are in NOW and same is the intention, so they vibrate same plane affecting each other. Fortunately, this perception, attaching with the intention and effort rather than result, brings a relief leading to peace.

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Intention,Law of Attraction,Art of Living

Law of Attraction: Is it Boon or Making Us Victim?

What is Law of Attraction?

Law of attraction (LoA) simply says: the physical reality in our life is result of our intense thoughts. The foundation of LoA lies on notion that every entity, including the gross matter, in the universe is a bundle of vibrating energy, and the like vibrational frequencies are attracted each other in a way a radio tunes the resonating frequency. It means people's thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of their lives, whether or not they're aware of it. Essentially,

If you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get it. On the contrary, putting a lot of attention and thought onto something you don't want means you'll probably get that too.

Thus, it says, what you are now is the result of your thoughts generated in the past.

Is LoA Real?

Well, the LoA has attacked the wide circles of people with its controversial claims. The self-help circle and the behavior scientist are in its favor, while the main stream physicists and the medical personnel criticize its claim in the light of existing experimental facts. However, the controversy seems to be the explanation of its claims rather than the claim itself. Whatever the case, most people convince on the fact that:

Changing our thinking 'may not' changes out in the vast universe surrounding us. However, it does change something inside of us; our perception, your focus, our emotions and our thinking from negative to positive. It motivates us to narrow the gap between what we lack to what we want and has an enormous impact on our motivation, energy and creativity, and thus, we will then be more efficient getting our goal.

In spite of lack of objective proof, our experience and broader perspective needs little proof for its existence. More over,  the unproven facts can not be always false in first place. The power of observation also develops gradually. The law gravity has always been there even though it was not proved until the 17th century. As I gather from quantum mechanics, LoA is partially proven. QM says every matters is bundle of wave with its unique frequency and like frequency get tuned. The controversy is whether thought is form of measurable energy and can 'attract' the similar one. There is benefit of doubt for both side. Whatever you like, upto you :-).

How LoA not Gives the Favorite Outcome?

By the same principle it attracts what we want, it also attracts what we worry about. When we worry continuously about the failure of our attempts and the future outcome, the universes reads the worried signal being transmitted. Since the universe has no biasness, it gives the added worriedness back to us and thus there is vicious circle created. Still worse, if we know the LoA, we will try to avoid the negative thoughts popping in the mind. Our very knowing, 'I should not be worry', will create more worriedness as negation is the invitation. As a result , there is more likelihood of getting the unwanted outcome.

More importantly, the knowledge of LoA may create the craving of positive thoughts and aversion of negative thoughts, which are the hindrance to the ascension. Unless we have the total acceptance of the negative/darker aspects, they will not come the surface and impossible to release them. Thus if we do not know the antidote of the thoughts, likelihood of becoming victim of the very knowledge is always there. What happen if we give the sharp sword to a monkey?

The Incomplete Explanation of LoA by Mainstream Teachers

The LoA is not a new concepts. The law of Karma and Jesus quote "Ask thy will be given" are related with this notion. However, the well documented form of LoA is in Buddha's technique. The LoA is related to the 'Samyak Sankalp', an ingredient of eightfold path. It mentions that our life realities are directed by our intense bhav (intentive emotion). Although the mainstream gurus often motioned that LoA originated from there, their explanation has made this a mediocre principle, focusing on the intentive thought (rather than bhav) for the realities to happen. It seems that LoA is being explained and taught by the people who do not have taste of thoughtlessness or total Presence. In thoughtless state how the LoA works or is there feeling without thought, I do not know their answer. This explanation may hinder the spiritual ascension too. Explicitly, it motivates to intensely identify with the thoughts and the vision which you like to realize. This way, though works to generate what you want, keeps us away from the true nature and farther away from the state of peace. Therefore, Buddha has given the antidote to de-energizing the thoughts in another ingredient of eightfold path, Tathata (accept what you feeling). Even if there is no thoughts, the subsiding bhavs (love, compassion or Maitri) always attract the like frequency.

Can We Put LoA in Our Favor?

If you go to fight you should first know the defense techniques. So first practice the art of Tathata before consciously applying the LoA. We may have following steps.

1. If we have nothing special to do, be in Now. Invest more of our energy in feeling the bodily sensations and beyond. The chain of thoughts (positive or negative) if come forwards, surrender them to inner space.
2. It is never possible not to do anything. We have to make choices, have to fulfill our daily responsibility, and of course they are are enjoyable too. Generate and focus on the giving-based emotion rather than greed-based emotion. Put our energy in the positive efforts. Share the ideas with the friends circle get the feedback and draw more energy.
3. Whatever the result obtained, accept it as the best gift provided to us according to the present stage of evolution.

In that way we may not gather 'tons' on money, but what we generate is satisfactory to us. Whatever the case, the LOA is always working in background.

 

What are your observation?

Technorati Tags: Law of attraction,Eightfold paths,Art of Living

 

Love References:

1. Law of attraction: How to use in your favor
2. Lessons from a Recovering Door Mat: Law of Attraction in Action with Worrying