Beacon Herald 2^nd Edition

The Lifestyle of Enlightenment: Realizing True Fulfillment and Healing a Bankrupt Culture

The culture of consumerism has an unconscious mantra at its center: “All is empty, inside is empty, outside is empty, I am empty, we are empty, you are empty.” The only thing one can do is go on filling his life with more and more thoughts, possessions, pleasures, positions, honors, etc. Fulfillment becomes a distant dream, a goal to be manufactured and measured by materialistic objects, superficial relationships and mindless entertainments. The ideal is that when one has amassed enough wealth, power, prestige, knowledge, whatever it is, then one can begin to taste “fulfillment”. In practice however, even when immense wealth and power gets attached to a single individual, the sense of emptiness only becomes more suffocating. The pursuit for “more” has become a threat to the very balance of the planet and the continued existence of the human species.

We are in desperate need of a new vision of life, one that doesn’t end in some fantasy of fulfillment, but one that begins with a deep understanding and existential experience of true fulfillment. The way to this experience is a lifestyle of Enlightenment, a lifestyle that is grounded in the understandings of ancient rishis who have perfected the science of inner fulfillment. The mantra for the culture of the future is contained in the invocation of the Isha Upanishad:

“Om. That is full; this is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness. When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness. Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!”

While this mantra may seem to have only philosophical significance, when its meaning is applied in earnest to the core of ones life, it creates a lifestyle of constant evolution into higher states of consciousness, peace and fulfillment. The vedic rishis, Enlightened Masters, and Avatars of the past embodied a tremendous realization of this profound truth and consciously fashioned all aspects of life to help bring others into a state of superconscious fulfillment. Let us take a look at some aspects of modern life and see where this understanding can have a healing effect.

Health: Fulfillment results from the feeling of being whole and wholeness is the true function of health. Modern health care is designed in segments by so-called professionals who, knowing only a fragment of the body, design drugs made for a part of the body while creating “side effects” that effect the entire body.

The rishis, or spiritual seers, of the past had an all encompassing view of human health, one that sees the body, mind, and subtle spiritual energies as a whole. Rather then just fixing a part as if a human being works like an automobile, the subtle science of Ayurveda works to realign the entire flow of the human system to function in a state of wholeness, a dynamic equilibrium that is the fountainhead of complete physical, mental and spiritual fulfillment.

The corporate greed of food companies has put the demand for increased profits over the interests of wholistic health. Food advertising perverts the bodies natural sense of hunger and does everything it can to create a sense of unfulfillment while providing a temporary fix: “Delight yourself with a high profit margin, corn-syrup drenched, diabetes inducing soda with your 'meal', its pure satisfaction!!!”. Consumerism thrives on cheap food and expensive diseases.

The completeness of true health is naturally self-maintaining. It naturally raises consciousness. It creates an appreciation for the profound intelligence of the body and an awareness of each cell working together towards providing the foundation for consciousness to realize the inherent fullness in all that exists. Knowing this, food habits, health care, exercise routines, all can be aligned to serve the evolution of higher states of consciousness towards deeper levels of fulfillment. This process consciously takes one beyond the limited drives of the body and mind and ultimately creates a lasting state of spiritual bliss which is unaffected by the happenings of nature.

Education: Realizing the fullness in all things means that intelligence is a global phenomenon. That it exists not just in the brain but throughout our body and the world around us as a living presence ready to unfold with infinite knowledge, existence and bliss. Somehow, modern education continually attempts to bypass this inherent intelligence and turn students into repetition machines, cogs in a wheel that no one knows for what purpose it is moving, for whom it is turning, or to where it is going.

Cutting children off from their inherent intelligence is an act of violence, and leaves them wounded. Many of the most wounded become teachers in the system, and enforce their sense of unfulfillment onto children, especially those who naturally enjoy being fulfilled in themselves. The Enlightened Beings of the past knew there was only one way out of this trap, which is to have teachers, or at least the head staff of the school, be immersed in a state of fulfillment and living with a fully awakened consciousness. From this experience they could connect with the natural intelligence within each student and provide the proper guidance for them to unfold this intelligence naturally from within themselves.

Anything that can awaken this enfolded intelligence becomes the practical method of teaching. Chanting of mantras, imbibing divinely inspired forms, connecting deeply with nature, moving the body with awareness, meditation, yoga- all act to awaken this innate intelligence. These methods and many more techniques will soon be scientifically verified to activate certain portions of the brain and have tremendous positive effects on creativity, focus, and problem solving. More importantly, they will help create a space of lasting fulfillment within each child which will act as a greenhouse for the seed of Enlightened Consciousness to grow.

Using strict examinations and the fear they induce to “educate” children is like ripping growing seeds out of the earth before they flower. What will be the use of such half-sprouted seeds? What we need is not education, but inspiration. Pure inspiration that comes from realizing that the source of all knowledge is within and each and everyone is imbued with the power to experience and express from the Source.

Entertainment: The culture of consumerism is based on creating unfulfilled desires, the more unfulfilled desires one has, the more desperate one works to continue a system that is benefiting the greed of a few false kings. The primary method of creating unfulfilled desires is entertainment geared towards the lowest of human motivations.

This is best exemplified in the popular music of today where lust is made into the highest pleasure, money made into the highest good and alcohol and drug intoxication glorified as the highest experience one can hope for. This music is not an act of rebellion against society, rather it is the twisted reflection of a few unscrupulous false kings, whose cynical materialism combined with vast media control are trying to put a noose around the whole human endeavor.

These dark forces are not just feeding on base desires, but are engineering them with the latest technologies. How many souls landed on this planet Earth wanting to brutally murder thousands of people? Yet that is exactly what is being “virtually” acted out daily by millions of youth in hyper-realistic video game worlds engineered on blood lust. The global effect of such activities is yet to be seen, but on an individual level it creates a confining sense of unfulfillment towards the lowest level of human possibilities.

There is a great demand for media producers who are living an Enlightened lifestyle, who go on creating not for the vested interests of giant media corporations or personal name and fame, but who act as pure mediums to the highest truths and experiences that the human spirit can fathom. Modern media has tremendous potential to share spiritual truths and visionary experiences, yet most in the spiritual field have not even begun to tap into these potentials.

Rather then creating out of greed or fear, the artists of the future will create from a state of samadhi, a pure state of spiritual bliss, and it is their profound state of fulfillment that will be passed on through their art. Just as modern films use light and sound effects to create an unavoidable sense of fear or restlessness, the spiritual films of the future won't just be spreading beliefs or ideas, but will directly induce healing states of bliss, fill the audience with divine wonder and inspire millions to seek the source of fulfillment within.

Economy: Living an Enlightened lifestyle makes one immune to the constant consumeristic frenzy which lures people into believing they will be incapable without the latest technology, unworthy without the latest fashion, and unfulfilled without an excess of expendable wealth. This immunity is not just based on philosophic or moral principles, but is the result of a deep existential experience of inner bliss, a sense of fulfillment and at-one-ment with the world.

To feel at ease with little, to feel confident in ones being without status and position, to be able to inspire thousands with little or no funding, to cherish simple moments freely available in the vast arena of nature, are all side effects of living in tune with the fullness of existence.

This does not mean however a total denial of goods, or a halting of economic flow. Rather, quality will be valued over quantity, and the theme of conscious individual fulfillment will replace the unconscious fulfillment of faceless corporations. One hand carved desk purchased from your neighbor down the street adds a thousand times more fulfillment in life then one hundred desks purchased from a commercial mega-store who will likely not even notice the increase in sales.

Practical steps must be taken to wean people away from an overly consumerist attitude and encourage activities that pose little or no threat to the environment. The best way to do this is through an increase in awareness, not through legislation, but through meditation. As more and more citizens awaken to the experience of inner fulfillment, the less the negative impact on the environment will occur and a stable self-sustaining economy can be built that is founded upon the empowerment and celebration of infinite consciousness.

Politics: In a society that is at risk of global collapse due to a few poor decisions made by a couple of political leaders, it is critical that the leaders of the future be aware of and practice an Enlightened lifestyle. If this is not possible, then at least there should be an assemblage of Enlightened advisers directly assisting the leaders in the decision making process.

In the vedic times a group of priests and Brahmins would advise rulers who were genuinely interested in benefiting the people they serve. While we would like to think that in modern times politics has become secular and there is no class of priests effecting political decision making, this is not the case. This class of political advisers has gone underground, working behind the scenes with vested interests in the largest companies of the world. The greed and fear based media that is being spread around the planet is a reflection of a small powerful elite group of people who, despite owning most of the worlds wealth, are still faced with a looming sense of emptiness and unfulfillment.

What we desperately need now are a group of advisers to world leaders that are working without vested interests. Beings who have realized the supreme fullness of life and can not be swayed by any intoxication of power, greed or fear. Beings who have awakened into super-conscious intelligence, who can access knowledge inwardly and see far ahead into all the outcomes of any particular decision. The head is the most indispensable part of the body and effects the rest of the organism by its decisions. What is needed is an Enlightened lifestyle in corporate boardrooms, military meetings, and presidential offices.

Culture of OM: Om is the universal vibration of omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient consciousness. The culture of Om is one that tunes our mind, bodies and spirit to the highest vibrations of super-consciousness. The Enlightened lifestyle is one that guides us into uncharted realms of human spirit, creativity and universal compassion. When fullness is taken out of fullness there only remains fullness. This is the supreme mystery, that even in the most seemingly fragmented state, fullness is there waiting to be realized, and even in the most divinely fulfilling state, there is yet infinitely more fulfillment to come. OM

P16 Entertainment

Laughing Buddha: “Relax, Cosmos is Bliss”

AP, Ananda Press

Laughing Buddha appeared live to a spirited audience last week at one of the most prestigious venues in the world, Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In tremendous bursts of laughter, he sent out vibrations of bliss to the whole audience. His bright golden form graced the stage with wondrous beams of light that radiated from His eternally smiling face. After an hour of only laughter, the audience was drenched in ecstasy and was wondering if the Laughing Buddha would say anything at all. Then He broke His silence and spoke with a voice that filled every inch of the great amphitheater with compassion and infinite wisdom and said “Relax, Cosmos is Bliss”. This was followed by another hour of constant laughter and the audience left the hall feeling lighter then ever, healed of all depression, and with blissful smiles all around.

P108 Ishopanishad Revealed Scripture

Translation by Swami Nikhilananda

Invocation

Om. That is full; this is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness. When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness. Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

1) All this—whatever exists in this changing universe—should be covered by the Lord. Protect the Self by renunciation. Lust not after any man's wealth.

2) If a man wishes to live a hundred years on this earth, he should live performing action. For you, who cherish such a desire and regard yourself as a man, there is no other way by which you can keep work from clinging to you.

3) Verily, those worlds of the asuras are enveloped in blind darkness; and thereto they all repair after death who are slayers of Atman.

4) That non—dual Atman, though never stirring, is swifter than the mind. The senses cannot reach It, for It moves ever in front. Though standing still, It overtakes others who are running. Because of Atman, Vayu, the World Soul apportions the activities of all.

5) It moves and moves not; It is far and likewise near. It is inside all this and It is outside all this.

6) The wise man beholds all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings; for that reason he does not hate anyone.

7) To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?

8) It is He who pervades all—He who is bright and bodiless, without scar or sinews, pure and by evil unpierced; who is the Seer, omniscient, transcendent and uncreated. He has duly allotted to the eternal World—Creators their respective duties.

9) Into a blind darkness they enter who are devoted to ignorance (rituals); but into a greater darkness they enter who engage in knowledge of a deity alone.

10) One thing, they say, is obtained from knowledge; another, they say, from ignorance. Thus we have heard from the wise who have taught us this.

11) He who is aware that both knowledge and ignorance should be pursued together, overcomes death through ignorance and obtains immortality through knowledge.

12) Into a blind darkness they enter who worship only the unmanifested prakriti; but into a greater darkness they enter who worship the manifested Hiranyagarbha.

13) One thing, they say, is obtained from the worship of the manifested; another, they say, from the worship of the unmanifested. Thus we have heard from the wise who taught us this.

14) He who knows that both the unmanifested prakriti and the manifested Hiranyagarbha should be worshipped together, overcomes death by the worship of Hiranyagarbha and obtains immortality through devotion to prakriti.

15) The door of the Truth is covered by a golden disc. Open it, O Nourisher! Remove it so that I who have been worshipping the Truth may behold It.

16) O Nourisher, lone Traveller of the sky! Controller! O Sun, Offspring of Prajapati! Gather Your rays; withdraw Your light. I would see, through Your grace, that form of Yours which is the fairest. I am indeed He, that Purusha, who dwells there.

17) Now may my breath return to the all—pervading, immortal Prana! May this body be burnt to ashes! Om. O mind, remember, remember all that I have done.

18) O Fire, lead us by the good path for the enjoyment of the fruit of our action. You know, O god, all our deeds. Destroy our sin of deceit. We offer, by words, our salutations to you.