Awareness and its applications

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBnkrolkD0

practices for maintaining awareness i'm

going to break down

the experiences into various categories

so that it is easy for us to handle each

of them separately

it is very easy to maintain the

awareness when you are alone in your

room sitting quietly with your eyes

closed there are no challenges here but

as soon as you come out of the room the

awareness evaporates

very quickly

and we are back to our habitual behavior

which we are doing since

many years

so it is all happening in darkness it is

actually

irrelevant

if your life is full of suffering or

full of joy if it is happening in

darkness they are one and same

and if the same things are happening in

awareness they are blissful the first

thing you should notice

in the world outside is that

all of it is false

there is nothing which is absolutely

true here and this will bring in the

awareness it is like struggling in

darkness and suddenly somebody turns on

the light you can see clearly and you go

exactly where you want to go you do

exactly that which is useful for you

the difference between an aware life and

unaware life is

like a movie that you are watching but

you know it fully that it is a movie

everything that is happening on the

screen is false the good people are

false the bad people are false and the

monsters are just images all the

emotions and drama is false

and unawareness is like watching the

same movie assuming that everything is

true there

the movie is exactly the same only that

this time there is a complete ignorance

and so whatever happens in the movie

directly affects the person

and that is why we keep this

attitude

that everything here is false it is a

dream and then you proceed to do

whatever you like to do in the dream

fully knowing that there will be

consequences

fully knowing that your dream depends on

the actions it is not a random dream

and who am i in this dream not this body

the body is a dream character not this

mind it is just software that runs this

body i am only the observer i am the one

which is

looking at the movie

and more interestingly i am the screen

on which the movie is happening

so ultimately it is me

the realization that

whatever i see is false i'm not this

body mind or any other object makes us

detached from our experiences

and the knowledge that it is all me

gives us a responsibility to behave

correctly here both of these

realizations should be present even

before you take up the advanced

practices

this realization that

i don't belong to this world and this

world is

an illusion will bring up the awareness

but it may not

bring up the intelligence

and so some people thinking that it is

my playground they start behaving in

abnormal ways

and needless to say it has consequences

it not only causes

suffering to others and the suffering is

then reflected back to this

instrument

so awareness and intelligence are two

separate things

one can be intelligent and act

responsibly without any awareness that

is perfectly okay and one can be totally

aware and act foolishly which is worse

than being aware this is a result of

half knowledge which says that i am only

an observer the world is a dream so i'll

do whatever i want if you are the

observer then there is no question of

doing anything

so this statement is coming from the ego

actually the ego is saying i'll do

whatever i want not the observer the

observer says nothing so this happens in

people who have half knowledge who have

just heard the teaching but do not

understand it completely

there is still this identification

present in with the body and mind this

entity has not been seen yet which is

now trying to use this newfound

knowledge for its benefit that means

there is a fake awareness not a real

awareness

this

backdoor entry of the ego will be seen

by the real awareness

usually awareness should purify the

intelligence automatically but it can

take some time and whenever in doubt you

should consult your teacher

so we are going to develop this

intelligence that is necessary to act

wisely in the world with full awareness

act wisely in all domains of your life

which i am calling as domains of

awareness here

and there are four major categories here

the first is the surrounding or

environment second is people and animals

third is the body and the fourth is the

activity of the higher layers of the

memory

as you must have noticed that the

environment people and animals they form

a lower layer and the body is

above them and the rest of the layers

are above it so instead of taking the

whole structure i am dividing it into

four big categories

a big part of our life is our

environment the place that we live in

the places that we visit the roads

and

the nature around us if you are doing

these practices you should become aware

of all these things pay attention to

what is really going on in your

environment is it beautiful is it ugly

is it clean is it dirty is it fresh or

is it smelly now check your reaction to

the environment around you

which one makes you feel good what kind

of environment you like most just become

aware of it

and don't worry about the actions i am

not telling you to act here just remain

aware

the actions will happen automatically

when the awareness reaches a certain

level the action will be manifested

just check what is the effect of the

environment on the body and

your internal peace

the second is people most of our

interactions with people they happen in

complete darkness whatever we call as

behavior is nothing more than reactions

the ego reacts in a pre-programmed way

now again i am not telling you to change

your behavior or do something else

instead of your usual behavior just

become aware become aware of people what

they do what they say how they behave

don't try to tell them that look i

noticed your behavior and it is such and

such if there is no need you should not

speak or preach just note it just become

aware

you will very quickly see that who is

lying who really likes you who is faking

it who is trying to use you who is

stupid and who is

wise

just become aware and you will see all

of these qualities they will be revealed

to you

we are not so much affected by the

environment compared to the people

around us they are continuously

affecting us normally we don't pay

attention normally we are not aware of

this thing so now see the impact of

people's behaviors and their actions on

yourself

somebody said something and there will

be reaction in you i am not telling you

to change it just observe it the

necessary change will happen

by itself remember there is no doer

there to change anything

the change was happening before also but

it was happening in complete darkness

there was no direction to it because of

the awareness

the change will happen in light of

awareness and it will be directed to the

place which is most

logical and rational

when you start seeing the impact of

others actions on yourself you will find

that your behavior will change

automatically you will know whom to

avoid you will know whom to approach you

will know how to defend yourself and you

will know how to attack others

and then you need to pay attention to

the behavior of the crowd and society in

general check what is going on in the

society it is a big bad house and you

don't need to fix anything you don't

need to change anything just become

aware of what is going on do not get

involved in the affairs of the people

and society and the world a seeker is

not concerned with these things

just pay attention just become aware of

what is happening whenever you see

yourself being forced to fix something

in the society to act for the benefit or

loss of the society just become aware of

that tendency also and you will find

that it is implanted in you by the

society it is not yours

you will start seeing the indoctrination

that has happened through the society

and your family when you are so aware

and that will free you from the

indoctrination slowly and surely without

doing anything

if you do something that means the

awareness is already gone

become aware of the animals around you

are they harmful yes then you should

stay away from them keep them away

are they filthy

become aware if you are caging them or

tying them with a leash become aware if

there is cruelty

or the animals are being used for

pleasure or slavery

become aware that they also have this

memory structure behind them just like

other people probably it is not so

complex but there is

there are activities of pleasure and

pain in them also there are activities

of emotions and intellect in them also

they also have desires and all

become aware of the body know what is

this body know that it is a pile of

organic matter arranged as organs

structures made up of cells that's all

it is

see that it cannot be called as me or

mine it is an arising in the experience

and it will be dissolved this will

slowly get rid of attachment to the body

now if there is

a desire to keep the body which will be

there in any healthy person physically

and mentally healthy person will desire

the body so if it is not me what should

i do with it because there is the desire

to keep the body to have this experience

for as long as it lasts you will need to

pay attention to the needs of the body

and see that the body itself is

fulfilling them there is no need to

interfere in that

the only mistake you can make here is

that think that i am not the body and so

i don't need to do anything for it this

is half knowledge this is not

really wise this is stupidity because

you are not the body that is correct but

you are not the doer of anything also

the body does whatever it does and if

there are actions that happen because of

this wrong knowledge because of this

ignorance then i am not the body then it

will have consequences good or bad

that is not our aim our aim is simply

awareness the rest can happen as it

happens as usual

pay attention to the needs of the body

become aware of the tendencies of the

body because of this awareness if

something goes in extreme it will be

minimized the awareness will help to

maintain the balance in the activity and

tendency of the body

become aware of the food habits or the

sleep patterns and simple activities of

the body like excretion

if the body is being used for pleasure

only become aware of it if the body is

addicted to substances become aware of

this addiction if the body is weak and

lazy become aware of that see there is a

need to exercise there is need need to

give up the addictions and there is a

need to prevent the misuse of the body

for pleasure

become aware of these things and they

will manifest automatically if they do

not do not scold yourself because that

is just more activity that is the good

part of the personality scolding the bad

part of the personality it is totally

ineffective what is effective is

awareness check the health of the body

look for the diseases that are present

but are not attended to because of this

darkness

lack of awareness

then pay attention and become aware of

over attachment to the body which is

habitual because since childhood we are

thinking that the bodies may become

aware of the unnecessary expenditure

that is happening on the body without

any real benefits

the body needs good clothes

and the body needs a good soap to remain

clean and beautiful become aware if

you are spending most of your income on

the body

become aware if you are showing it off

by putting on tons of makeup on it or by

buying expensive clothes to impress

others this will be a case

for people for whom the body is

everything in their life

they don't have any other important

thing to do so the body takes the full

attention

if this is happening just become aware

of it all that is unnecessary will drop

off automatically just shine the light

of awareness and over attachment to the

body

pay attention when there are tendencies

that see people as bodies instead of a

person when you see people as objects to

be used then it can have consequences

try to see people not as bodies but

there is a complete personality behind

that body there are many layers

above the layer of this body

try to become aware of that which is

behind that body which is being

expressed through that body the body of

the other person should become

transparent for you should look through

the outer coverings and also become

aware of the body of the other person

are they body-centric are they showing

it off is it heavily decorated and

artificial and fake is the whole of

their personality buried under fakeness

of this body just become aware of all

these things about the body your own and

others

the layer just above the body is a

pleasure and pain these are the

automatic actions

in the nervous system whenever the

survival needs are met the body produces

the signals of pleasure when the

survival needs are not met or if the

body is damaged

it produces signals of pain

just above it is the mechanisms of

reward and punishment

become aware of them if i received a

reward from the body if i did something

for it you should become aware that this

has happened and if you received the

punishment because some mistake happened

you should become aware that this has

also happened

the rewards are not

for me and the punishment is also not

for me i am simply an observer of these

activities

of these middle layers

see that these are the motifs for bodily

actions otherwise the body is not going

to do anything it will just sit like

rock

some people have this half knowledge

that if i become aware i won't be able

to enjoy anything and i'll just ignore

the pain also because i know it is

illusion it is just signals in the body

so this kind of stupidity can arise if

there is no real awareness

you will find that the body and this

mechanical instrument does whatever is

necessary under the light of the

awareness that's all will happen

you don't need to really mess into the

workings of the body and the reward and

punishment system let it happen as it

happens but let it happen in awareness

there is no need to mess with it the

pain is there now go and take a medicine

go to the doctor and it is the most

logical thing to do fully knowing there

is no doer it must happen this way and

if something else happens instead of the

natural action which is the avoidance of

the pain

then become aware that the knowledge has

become an affliction for you you have

misunderstood the teachings of awareness

the awareness does not demand a change

in behavior it demands that the light be

present that's all

this is not really demand it is a

natural state

not being aware is unnatural so your

pleasure pain and punishments and

rewards they are not going to disappear

if you become aware

yes

the long term suffering which is

artificial may disappear there will be

pain but it is not going to stick to you

it will come and it will go there will

be pleasure but there will be no

suffering because i am not getting the

pleasure now the pleasure will happen

whenever it happens naturally

this clinging this suffering may end

which is unnecessary it shouldn't if

that does not happen then probably there

is some problem in your awareness

practice

addictions to pleasure should disappear

the pleasure will be there but the

compulsions and impulses will be gone

because they will be seen in the light

of awareness instead of impulsive

behavior there will be peaceful behavior

the ego is going to cry here no no i

want the pleasure i don't want the

pleasure to disappear from my life

because of this stupid thing called

spirituality and this is the cry of the

ego which knows nothing about

spirituality it only knows pleasure and

pain and

survival become aware of this drama also

if there is an action on this dramatic

reaction of the ego that means the

awareness has already left you

now if you become intensely aware of the

body the first thing you will notice is

that it is full of emotions you will see

all the emotions appearing in the body

because they are very much close to the

body they are connected to the body and

the emotions are also connected to

pleasure and pain and reward in

punishment systems reward produces a

good emotion punishment produces a bad

emotion

and see the emotions as the motivators

of actions become alert and aware as

soon as the emotions arise the next

thing you know will be an action you

know this very well so before the action

happens you will become aware of it if

you become aware of the emotions

and it does not matter what is the

action you become aware simply let the

action

be there watch the action and you will

see a surprising effect here that the

actions that are unnecessary will be

delayed

sometimes you use the willpower to delay

the actions or reactions because now it

is possible because there is awareness

now it will become possible to delay the

habitual impulsive reactions

most of the people they do not act they

simply react to their emotions they

simply obey whatever emotions are

telling them

you can use simple devices like

attend to the breath or count backwards

or invoke the mantra this can help to

clear the emotion before the action

happens now your actions will be more

logical and rational instead of

impulsive you don't need to kill the

emotions let it arise and let it subside

see that these are very natural

activities of the memory

just keep reminding yourself that these

are the lower tendencies most of the

emotions are completely useless they

were useful when we were animals the

fear the anger the lust jealousy all

these things are now useless we have

evolved beyond these

just see that they are animalistic

tendencies which are still present you

don't need to remove them don't need to

kill the emotion you simply become aware

don't interfere

and if they are too intense then you

will need to use your willpower to delay

the action there will be some action

because now there is emotion so

but the action will be very subdued it

will be only that much which is

necessary and it will be logical

intelligent and rational action

if you are aware of your emotions you

will get some time to think and to delay

your decisions which are usually just

knee-jerk responses for a common man

now the ego is going to cry again no no

i want this bleeding emotions and i want

all the love and joy that i experience

as emotions so don't worry they will not

be destroyed the feelings emotions

everything will happen it will happen in

the light of awareness

if you find yourself taking actions to

bring in the emotions or to resist the

awareness or to kill the emotions that

means the awareness has left you

and the benefit of this practice is that

the suffering caused by the emotions

which is totally unnecessary and the

mistakes we make when we act under the

influence of the emotions that will be

destroyed that will go away a

purification happens now instead of

emotions you will find that there is

happiness and peace

the emotions come and go and then

the background of happiness and peace

remains

that cannot go that will not go away

you will find that most of the emotions

are being produced by the desires which

is another layer in the memory

attend to the desires as soon as the

desire arises become aware of it

sometimes you'll become aware of the

desire even before it produces any

consequences in this whole structure of

the memory usually the desire ends up as

an action which happens through this

body

if you become aware of the desires it is

like stopping the flow of the river at

the source of the river when it is tiny

when it's just a puddle of water

stopping your actions when they are at

the level of the emotions or ego is just

like building a big dam over a big river

it's very difficult but the desires are

very subtle and so it is possible to

control all the actions if you become

aware of the desires

remember our objective the objective is

to gain complete control over all the

activities and this is the source of the

activity the desires they arise as an

impulse to do something become aware of

these impulses and you will find that it

is like rain as soon as you get up in

the morning the rain begins the rain is

the desires are raining on us as soon as

you become aware of this desire or that

desire and you think it is not necessary

there is no need to act on it this can

be achieved simply by becoming aware

the intellect will notice that it is not

important and so it will disappear

then the ego is going to cry here again

no no i am going to become like a rock a

dead body without the desires don't

worry the desires will be there as usual

only that there will be control over

them

or you find yourself having this kind of

fear that i'll become a nobody without

the desires it means you don't have any

awareness or it means you did not even

understand the teaching

we do not control anything the control

appears when there is awareness that is

all you will see

actions are not awareness so when i say

delay the gratification of desires it

does not mean that it is an action it

will happen as soon as awareness is

there

the more intense your awareness is the

more delay will be there in the

gratification of desires

it is automatic there is no doer so we

cannot really stop the desires from

manifesting but the awareness will give

you a little bit of time to think and to

find

the best way to fulfill the desire

and it will cut down the suffering

caused by unfulfilled desires now you

will see them as

this activity and if one or two of them

are not satisfied don't really worry

about these things if there is any

response from the lower layers that this

is not being satisfied that is not being

satisfied

you become aware of that also yes this

particular desire is not satisfied so

what some other will be satisfied there

are dime a dozen there are too many more

than we need

this will give some time to your

intelligence and logical ability to

perform only those actions that are

really necessary if it is our needs to

be fulfilled it is really necessary that

will happen and that will happen in the

most beautiful way

most of our actions are just impulsive

slavery of desires and you will find

that they stop you become peaceful and

people are going to notice this peace on

your face and in your actions it will

become really difficult for people to

push your buttons now because they know

what are your desires and what is your

behavior and they manipulate you

depending on what you desire

your neutral attitude to the desires is

going to get rid of such people from

your life and you will find that you get

a lot of time which was wasted in

fulfillment of random desires now you

have the freedom to utilize that time

instead of doing the slavery of desires

now you can fulfill those desires which

are most important for you let the

intellect decide what is most important

for you and here we encounter the goal

of our lives if your desire is in

alignment with the goal of your life

then it is worth fulfilling otherwise

it's a waste of time

most people don't know what they want

the next desire yes it is mine and i

need to fulfill it and they keep jumping

like a monkey from one tree to another

to get it done i want this this monkey

business is going to stop as soon as you

become aware of the desires