Which resonates more with you: “No man is an island.” or “We’re all alone.”
The two seemingly contradicting yogic expressions are essentially two sides of a coin.
Experience both:
“No man is an island.”
Don’t want to feel like an island? Contemplate your surroundings. Let’s assume you’re sitting in a cafe waiting for a friend. How many people have contributed to this moment in your life?
The answer is millions. Doubtful? Start by contemplating the people involved in the manufacturing, distribution and sale of the clothes you’re wearing, whatever you’re sitting on, and whatever you’re reading this on – add the planning and construction of whatever building or transportation you’re in. You get the idea.
If literally everything that’s ever happened since the dawn of time hadn’t happened exactly as it did, you wouldn’t be reading this.
That’s collective karma: the breath-by-breath, second-by-second explanation of evolution: infinite cause & effect.
Bottom line: our actions affect the lives of countless others.
“We’re all alone.”
Yet, as Amma says, “We’re all alone.”
I really dislike that expression, but it’s true in the sense that no one in all of eternity will ever know our deepest most personal thoughts and emotions – even if we write them all down like it was our job!!
Consider your most intimate relationships. You can pour your heart out to your partner for days – and all they’ll ever experience is a reflection of what’s between your ears and in your heart.
True happiness? Bliss?
So where does true lasting internal peace come from?
1. From the inside-out:
Peaceful, quiet, calm, silent, inner stillness is a gift we give ourselves.
While we can’t live blissfully in a semi- or un-conscious state of mind indefinitely, we each have the ability [arguably, the responsibility] to take our bodies and minds “offline” – to rest, restore and recharge – to take care of ourselves.
2. From the outside-in:
Each of us is part of a miraculous, perpetually-evolving, living mosaic – which is playing out on a revolving, molten rock hurtling through space! Everything other than our awareness changes every second!!
Recognizing that nothing tangible can be intangibly fulfilling, and that nothing temporal is ever-lasting – and realizing our every action has perpetual consequences (ripples if you will), we guard our thoughts which form words, which precipitate actions – in hopes of mitigating negative karmic consequences for ourselves and others.
It’s ironic
It’s counterintuitive, but Rotary and BNI got it right: “Service above self” and “Givers gain”, respectively. Helping others is all the reward we need.
As Saint Francis of Assisi said, “It’s in giving that we receive.”
Want to experience lasting bliss? Go deep inside. Tap into your own consciousness. Observe, contemplate and meditate on the nature of your own awareness. [Hints: It never changes. Yours is exactly like mine. Without it, you have zero awareness of your thoughts, feelings or actions. Consciousness <> conscience; the latter is a sub-conscious mental function. Consciousness doesn’t “do” anything; it just “is”. It’s essentially divine.]❤️😊🕉
