Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti


Perennial Psychology

Consciousness

In the Vedic scriptures we can find the expression: Satyam Shivam Sundaram “There is nothing more beautiful or more auspicious, than the truth” or “the truth is auspicious and beautiful.” Through cid, through awareness, through consciousness, we can define where our path towards the truth is. In other words, my position as an individual unit is not lost; it is not shot into space without any purpose or direction. My feet are firmly on the ground of reality and they can carry me on my way to fulfillment.

But in which direction am I going? There are plenty of directions and one gets very confused about it.

The individual conscious unit is trying to define the meaning of truth. What is beautiful and auspicious? What is the truth? What is my participation in the truth? Can I contemplate it? Can I enjoy and consume it?

Our conscious unit has already explored so many areas of consciousness and knowledge and has never been able to gain any permanent satisfaction. For that reason we keep on studying more things, reading more books and doing further research. But this search has no end. We are always chewing the chewed, as long as we do not abandon the incorrect conception, that fulfillment of life can be achieved at the cost of others. We think that everyone and everything, all the living entities and nature exist to satisfy our needs and desires.

The Vedas give us a totally different approach. They say: We are here to learn how to love everybody. By having this purpose, our consciousness is put into a pleasant mood and set off in the direction of realizing Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

You have to go on, struggle and reach fulfillment during your existence. You cannot be satisfied with anything less than that. This is the living application of self-realization - working in a way that is loving and beneficial for everyone.

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Page last modified on March 13, 2008, at 06:52 PM