Physical to Spiritual

[Guest guest]

" Physical to Spiritual "

April 20, 2008

Prof. Anil Kumar

 

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

I apologise to you for the short delay. Because of a power cut at

home which did not facilitate my coming over here in time, I could

not make it on time. I am very sorry about that.

 

Well, I think we may not be meeting until June. One thing appears to

be certain: we will not be meeting next Sunday. People say that on

Wednesday or Thursday, it may be convenient to move out of this

place, if they want to go elsewhere or attend to their personal work.

But more than this I am not supposed to say!

 

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL ARE ONE AND THE SAME

Let me talk to you this morning on the topic of " Physical to

Spiritual " .

 

My friends, we often think that the physical and spiritual are

opposites. No! We also think that combining the physical with the

spiritual is paradoxical or even ironical. No! Some feel that the

physical and spiritual are contradictory; but they are totally

mistaken. The physical and spiritual are complementary. One is the

corollary to the other. One leads to the other; it does not go in the

opposite direction. The physical and spiritual are one and the same;

only our awareness makes the difference.

 

When we make an attempt, we can understand the superiority of the

body over matter. By further investigation, we know that the mind is

superior to the body. On enquiry, we know that the spirit is higher

than the mind. In deep meditation, we understand that the spirit and

consciousness are one and the same. By " spirit " , I mean the

conscience or the individual consciousness. So to put it in a

nutshell, from matter to consciousness, it is only a question of

enquiry, investigation, deep study and meditation to know the

reality, and to know that they are complementary to each other.

 

Those who take the physical as the only reality tend to be

materialistic. They are prone to be animalistic. We should not limit

ourselves at the physical level. We have to travel further and

further to experience the spiritual in physical life.

 

On the other hand, those who say, " I am spiritual, totally spiritual "

are living in a fool's paradise. There can be no spiritual without

the physical. The physical is meaningless without the spiritual. Both

are equally necessary. The root is necessary for the fruit; it cannot

be there without the root. The root without a fruit is dead wood. So,

the root and fruit are both necessary. Similarly, the physical and

the spiritual are absolutely necessary. Ultimately we realise that

both are one and the same, and that one depends upon the other.

 

FROM PHYSICAL TO SPIRITUAL: THE BOTTOM LINE IS ENERGY

The next aspect is this: energy is uniform, one and the same. We

cannot categorise energy in different forms. Different names are

given to energy depending upon the direction in which it flows. You

may call it " solar energy " or " radiant energy " ; these are the names

given depending upon the direction in which the energy flows, not its

essential nature. Energy is uniform, one and the same. The kinetic

theory of energy says that energy can neither be created nor

destroyed; only it can be converted into another form of energy. That

is all.

 

In our onward journey from physical to spiritual, as we investigate

and discuss together, let us understand that energy is the bottom

line. Energy is the basis for both to exist. There is nothing like

physical energy, and then separately, spiritual energy. No, it is the

same energy. The energy used in a spiritual direction you

call " spiritual energy " . The same energy used for a physical or

mundane activity in the daily routine you call " physical energy " .

Both are energy.

 

Be that as it may, what is most important is that some people do not

like to call this energy " God " . They don't want to call it God, they

prefer to say " energy " . Good, all right. If you are allergic to the

name " God " , all right, call Him " energy " . Well, some say, " No, no the

source of energy is God. " It doesn't matter what you call God, but at

least we can agree, God is energetic. This energy is the fundamental

aspect that we will be considering this morning.

 

Let us dispel some misconceptions about energy. First, some people

believe that there are positive and negative energies. No, in the

absolute sense, there cannot be positive energy and negative energy.

We cannot qualify energy because it is cosmic and universal. The only

two qualities of energy are these: neutrality and namelessness.

Energy is nameless and it is neutral.

 

The second wrong conception is that you can sublimate energy. Some

say that one form of energy is sublimated or elevated to a higher

level. That is wrong, a fallacy, a hallucination, nothing less than

imagination. Energy cannot be sublimated; it can be merely

transformed. Energy which has been flowing in one direction is made

to flow in another direction. That is all. Diversion of the root's

energy into a fruit is transformation, not sublimation. I would like

to make this very, very clear.

 

TO TRANSFORM ENERGY IS TO DIRECT IT PURPOSEFULLY

Now, if we are able to think about this energy being used for

physical purposes in our daily lives, then we will be able to

accomplish so many things in this world. We do hard, manual labour

because of physical energy, and we study and read, doing all that

mental work, using mental energy. Some people are very sharp; they

have a good intellectual energy. So energy can be used for various

purposes: physical, psychological, and intellectual.

 

The same energy, when it is directed towards the Divine, is

called " transformation " (remember, it is not sublimation). But

transformation does not mean that the form of energy is changed. No!

The point is that it is now being directed purposefully. The energy

that we have been utilising all this time for our life purposes and

for our professional expertise shall now be used in search of the

Divine. It shall be used hereafter in search of Self-realisation,

used along the path of self-inquiry. This is transformation of

energy.

" How is it possible? " That is the third question. (And if we leave

the question as it is, then we are in no way different from

politicians!) Unless we have a good solution to a problem, we will

not be able to tackle it well.

 

How do we transform our energy? How do we direct our physical energy

towards spiritual goals? What shall I do?

 

Some people say, " Come and do exercises. " I know of many people who

have been exercising endlessly, but they have landed nowhere. Some

say, " It is better that we do pranayama (breathing exercises), " but

in so doing, they acquire other problems.

 

It is clearly said in Dhyana Vahini, by Bhagavan Baba, that if

pranayama is done by anybody on his or her own, they will land in a

hospital. We will also develop certain other problems, problems which

Baba has outlined very clearly in Dhyana Vahini. Pranayama should

only be performed under strict supervised training, the professional

direction of an expert. If we just read how to do it and

say, " Alright, " then we will develop many other complications. With

such results, we will understand that in the long run, these

exercises or yogic practices have not helped us whatsoever.

 

Others say, " I am counting beads and holding the talisman or

japamala. " But we see how many people rotate the beads of their

japamala and watch everybody else! Their japa is only being done

mechanically by the fingers, while the mind is elsewhere. So we have

not gotten anywhere even in that system.

 

The very funny thing in life is that when we want to sit for

meditation, more thoughts come into our minds. I have shared this

with all of you many times. When we purposefully want to control our

minds, more thoughts will come to us, with a vengeance. In so doing,

you will be fighting with your mind.

 

We say, " Let us not have thoughts in our minds. No thoughts, please.

Let me think of Swami, and Swami only. " But in the meantime we get

tired and go to sleep. As we do this so-called meditation, with our

own limited understanding, instead of giving our neighbours the

experiences of samadhi, we actually disturb them with our snoring!

(Laughter)

 

True meditation will not disturb anybody. But most people

who " meditate " are asked by their neighbours to get up. " Wake up,

please, " they say. I am no exception!

 

REALISE THAT THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT IS MORE BLISSFUL

Therefore, my friends, even our attempts at meditation have not

helped us yet. So, how do we transform the physical energy into

spiritual energy? The only thing that is needed is for us to realise

that the spiritual direction is more blissful than the physical

direction. This will automatically get us into the state which we

seek. There is a higher level of bliss, a much more blissful state

in the spiritual aspect. When we realise this, the physical aspect

will drop away on its own.

 

A simple example: Usually I am very particular about all the items I

have for lunch and do not compromise in eating a hot meal. But if I

have a good job and a promising career, and am given a guarantee of

promotion, I won't mind skipping my lunch—I will also work during

lunch. When there is some extra financial gain, then we

say, " Alright, I can be satisfied with bread or upma. " How can a

fellow, who is so particular about scrumptious meals, be satisfied

with a simple plate of upma, a dish that is most often tasteless?

Because his career prospects are more promising than his usual lunch

routine! Similarly, when we understand that there is a more

beneficial, more blissful state than the one we are in, then we

naturally reach a condition in which our physical concerns drop away

by themselves.

 

WE CANNOT FIGHT WITH THE PHYSICAL LEVEL

But if we want to fight the attraction of the physical aspect, we

will " successfully " fail. We will never be successful in fighting

with the physical level. Yes, most people suffer from this obsession,

as Baba has said in one of His talks.

 

One fellow started saying, " Oh, Swami, I am going to sleep now; let

me dream of Nandi (the bull vehicle of Siva)! " He should have left

it at " Nandi, " but at the same time he said, " Oh, God, help me not to

dream of the Pandhi (the pig) (Laughter)! " He was saying, " Let me not

get Pandhi in my dreams, but let me see only Nandi. " But this fellow

got only Pandhi. So, the more you fight with the physical level, the

more it will react, because it is not such a fool as to keep quiet.

 

If we change our dietary habits or physical exercise all of a sudden,

our bodies will react. They don't keep quiet. Our bodies will

say, " You, fellow, you nurtured me so long and now you want to

silence me! Alright, the doctor will settle this in the form of his

bill. " So, never fight with the physical level or with your senses.

And never fight with the mind, because you will fail. Those who say

they have succeeded are Bogus Number One. Please take it from me! It

is not so easy to control the mind. It is not so easy to control the

senses, and it is nothing but audacity and foolishness to declare

that we have conquered our senses. Let us avoid the man who says he

has, because it is not a simple task.

 

We must understand that this physical energy and our own goals on the

physical level are far inferior to spiritual ends. Spiritual goals

hold far more promise. They are much more blissful, and during that

time, the physical attentions will naturally drop away on their

own.

 

It is just like when people begin to talk amongst themselves. Some

people talk loudly and some forcefully. But, however disturbing their

talk is, when Swami starts to talk, immediately there is total

silence. No one has to say, " Shhh! Swami is talking. " Our talk simply

stops the moment Swami starts. Similarly, our godliness, our Divine

thoughts, our Divine attention, and our spiritual energy start to

allow for the physical aspect to drop away by itself, without

fighting.

 

Fighting with the mind and body is suppression. It is repression. The

body will not accept suppression or repression. It is a sign of

slavery, and the mind will never agree to it. Because we have been

carrying this ego for the last many lives, it will never accept

repression. Therefore, let us not fight with it; let us compromise.

Show it that there is a higher thing available, a better thing, and

as we proceed, the physical aspect recedes into the background.

 

Relatively speaking, fighting at the physical level, being inimical

to our senses and the mind is negative. Moving spiritually upward is

natural and positive. This is positive, while fighting and repression

are negative.

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan