Friends. Today we will concentrate o energy. We do not possess energy,
we are energy. We do not possess energy, we are energy. The Atman, the
soul is energy- living conscious energy. Matter is also energy, but it is
energy without consciousness of life.
In
meditation we must realize, “I am spirit and light of conscious
energy-within me, around me, and in me.” In this time of special peace,
in meditation, we can become aware of beings this energy which is
infinite and immortal. Then we feel vitality and know this is our true
nature, that this energy is for creation.
What
differentiates man from other living beings are the qualities of our
loving and our knowing. The earth is blessed with energy in many forms.
Energy is in the rocks, in water, in air in fire, in minerals, in the
mud. Energy is in trees, grasses, flowers. Energy is in all the beasts
and birds, in the fish of the sea and the insects of the air. All of
these forms of energy are interdependent. Human life is enhanced when our
own energy is guided by love and intelligence, but degraded when our
energy is guided by negative emotions, personal greed, and ignorance.
Love and intelligence guiding our energy make us a part of ongoing
evolution.
Man’s
energy, the energy of spirit, can have dominance over other forms of
energy. Think of the energy of Einstein that could penetrate the atom,
and led to awareness of the chain reaction of the nuclear explosion. This
gave man power. This energy is energy; With awareness it becomes a
blessing: without awareness it may turn human life into a heap o0f ashes.
The unknown summons our energies whether to cross seas, or travel to the
moon. Violence and injustice challenge us to bring new energy to help
create a peaceful, united brotherhood of man.
In a
sense, however, mankind is already a brotherhood. Invisibly we are all
related to every soul in the world, and yet every soul is a stranger.
This is the paradox! We are all related and yet we are alone. We meditate
to understand this paradox and to find what we can be in relation to the
world. This way we find ourselves. We find the blessing the world needs
from us, and thus we are blessed.
Love is
the greatest energy of the cosmos, the energy that makes all that could be
unfold, the cosmogenic energy. This human energy is expressed in
thoughts, emotions, words, actions. Man is born with the capacity to
react with a variety of emotions, and sometimes his early childhood
experiences largely determine which will become predominant. If he is
treated with respect, he will respect himself and others. If his
initiative is approved, he will be original. The child is the future, but
the parent can have a powerful influence on the child’s future. Whether
love and intelligence will guide the child’s future. Whether love and
intelligence will guide our energy depends much on the love and
intelligence shown us as children. However, with meditative awareness, we
learn to forgive ignorance in our parents and go beyond the limits of our
childhood. This shows the strength of love.
Communication is a major source and outlet of the love and intelligence
that guide our energy, so let us focus on our energy that goes into
communication. Social conventions communicate, such as racial or class
discrimination. Actions communicate; as it is said, “Actions speak louder
than words. “Facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, everything that
we are, communicates. An old adage says, “What you are speaks so loudly
that I can’t hear what you are saying. “However, words-articulate
language especially -are the media of human communication. And how little
we know about using them! We know how to use electricity, but not the more
powerful energy of our verbal communication.
Words
also produce a reaction that comes back on us. A well-known Indian story
illustrates this. A boy wandered into a woods at the foot of a mountain
and called out, “You are the devil.” He heard a voice answer, “You are
a devil.” In terror, he hurried home and told his mother what he had
head. She said, “Don’t worry, son, I’II show you who was speaking. “She
took him back to the same spot and told him to call. “I love you.” He
did, and the voice answered “I love you. “She explained, “That was
nothing more than an echo.”
In
society we continuously echo each other. One nation says, “You are a
dangerous enemy.” And we hear the answer, “You are a dangerous enemy.” We
say, “I have many nuclear bombs,” and we hear the reply, “I have many
nuclear bombs.” Nations arm without seeming to realize that what they do
causes others to do the same. Each threatens by words and by actions,
blind to the results. Each society and each individual should take the
initiative in communicating with love and intelligence.
In
today’s world, words that were meant to lead us are used to mislead us.
We are constantly deluged and deluded by advertising which tells us, “Use
this hairspray and be beautiful.” Or, “Drink this whiskey and be happy.”
And in politics, truth is reduced to credibility. Any verbal device which
can manipulate the public and disguise facts is considered viable. And as
to ourselves, most of the time , we use language to conceal our thoughts
and feelings rather than to reveal ourselves. Ultimately this becomes our
own barrier and we confuse and deceive ourselves. The moment you begin to
use language to reveal rather than conceal yourself, you begin the journey
from the lower to the Higher Self.
For
that we must concentrate on the subtlety of our communications, and the
purpose behind them. Here is a story that illustrates this subtlety and
its effect. Once there was a king who had a terrible dream, a frightening
nightmare. In this dream, he saw each of the thirty-two teeth in his
mouth fall out one by one. He was very disturbed when he awoke. Right
away he sent for his wise men and soothsayers. Two of them, upon hearing
his account of the dream, told him they could explain it to him. The
first one said it was like this: “Sire, what this dream signifies is that
every member of your family will die before you. One by one you shall
have to witness their deaths before your very eyes. And, what is worse,
you will no be able to do anything to prevent this.” When the king heard
these words, he became terribly depressed and locked himself in his
chambers. For a whole day he did not come out or take any food. Finally,
he emerged and the other soothsayer who had indicated that he understood
the dream came forward and said, “Lord, in this dream of yours I see the
promise of your great longevity. You will live to such an old age that
none of the members of you family will have to witness your death. They
will be spared this painful experience.” The king sat up and said, “So I
shall live long, and my family will be spared the sorrow of mourning for
me.” Then he smiled and was consoled. The king awarded the second
soothsayer with lots of gifts.
Communication can elicit or can crush hope. Communication can create or
destroy confidence. Communication can turn potential friends into
enemies, or potential enemies into friends.
Let us
enter meditation by concentrating on how we use our energy in
communicating: do we conceal or do we reveal ourselves. Let us
concentrate on how our communication, by revealing ourselves, can spread
in the world around us amity, appreciation, compassion, equanimity and
concord. We cannot wait for these qualities to come from the outside; we
must initiate them.
