In this edition of his exclusive series for iGlobal, the Founder of the world-renowned Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD) spiritual organisation explains the science of excitement and throws light on the truth that true happiness lies in the silence of one’s being.
In pursuit of the knowledge of the Self, the first lesson is gained through keen observation of sensual experiences. From this observation arises true knowledge regarding the objects and one’s own mental modifications. Thus begins the inner quest.
The Enlightened Ones say that one who desires to seek the truth should earnestly introspect on his sensual experiences. From them, he should learn about the futility of worldliness and the value of inner quest. The primary lesson of self-knowledge arises from this, so too the need for inner search. This will gradually reduce the eagerness, value and need for worldly things.
Eager for Excitement
The Self is the abode of bliss, yet we seek happiness from the outside because we are focused only on the world around us. We imagine that happiness is in the attainment or availability of favourable objects. So, we keep desiring for their accessibility. When the favourable things become available, the senses get excited, that is, the consciousness functioning through the senses gets excited. This thrill is perceived as ‘happiness’. To continue experiencing this happiness or excitement of senses, we keep aspiring for favourable objects. Thus, our focus remains outside while happiness lies within. The more we wander outside for excitement, that much more we go away from ourselves.
Our senses are always eager for excitement. The law of excitement is such that once a level of excitement is experienced, to experience that same level of excitement again, we need something more, something new, something different from what was needed earlier. For example, a man drinking alcohol for the first time may lose consciousness after one drink, but the next time he may need two. To get the kick, now he needs stronger excitement. This may go on to such an extent that a day comes when alcohol can no longer give any excitement. He would soon need some other or more powerful intoxicant for excitement. In this way, in searching for excitement, man becomes more and more inert. As the amount of excitement increases, the senses lose their competence that much.
If you enjoy sharp taste in food, then soon you shall start losing the capacity of taste. Thereafter, only a lot of spices will be able to appease your tongue; without them, food will taste bland as though eating clay and will not bring gratification. For example, the fruit sweet lime has its own typical sweet taste and its pulp can be eaten as it is. But if you feel that it tastes bland, then you would want to sprinkle some salt to make it tasty. Salt added to sweet lime excites the senses and gives pleasure. But next day, this will not excite the senses. Now you would want to sprinkle black pepper along with salt to make you happy, then sugar and so on. Now the senses are incapable of deriving pleasure from just sweet lime. This is about those who seek excitement from the outside. However, those who turn inward can experience sweetness even in water. The less excited the senses are, the stronger and more potent they are to catch the subtle.
If you get used to listening to loud music, you may not be able to catch the humming and chirping of the birds. You will not be able to appreciate that silence too has its music. Your consciousness is not capable of grasping the subtle. Excitement has made it very gross. The grossness of consciousness can perceive only the gross and misses the subtle.
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Excitement is Futile
A thing can be pleasurable today and become ordinary after four days, no longer bringing excitement. There is always an expectation for something different, new and more. If this need is not fulfilled then whatever is present, not just does not become joyous but there is experience of unhappiness too. The ordinariness seen does not allow you to remain happy. Like, the first visit to the moon excited everyone in the world. People were glued to the television and radio eager to know what was happening. But in just couple of hours, they switched off their sets and in a day or so, people even stopped discussing about it and continued with their routine life. So many years, energy, money, so much planning went in for that one exciting experience. But in no time, it became just another event. Because of your definition of happiness, you make every event an ordinary one and plunge into the search for something special. In the fire of continuous desiring you burn and remain unhappy and perturbed.
Until you get a thing, you imagine joy in it. The moment that thing is attained, it does not appear joyful and sometimes becomes painful. You become eager to have more and more exciting experiences, due to which the senses become tired, the capacity of consciousness to grasp the subtle experiences reduces and thus you move farther away from your own true nature.
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From the Gross to the Subtle
The Master advises the seekers to give up yearning for exciting experiences and make the consciousness silent, sharp, and subtle. The more you keep your consciousness in this state, the more it will remain under your control and the possibility to experience true happiness would increase. If you drop the excitement for taste, dry roti will taste sweet. You will not need special spices to make food tasty because the experience of taste does not depend on food, it depends on the one tasting it.
You will not be able to spiritually progress unless you remove the desire for excitement. Spiritual practices are meant to take you from the gross to the subtle. If you remain oblivious of the subtle, you will not be able to benefit from the subtle that is already and ever present. The Self is always available yet you cannot feel, experience, realise it and benefit from it. You can give up excitements only when your attention moves away from the external world to mental modifications and opinions. By doing this, you realise that the whole game is of your definitions and beliefs. For happiness, you need neither excitements nor things.
As the attachment and need for excitement reduces, and the greatness and wonder about the outer world starts diminishing, the consciousness becomes quieter. It becomes potent to experience the subtle and eventually reaches a state where there is no excitement but only peace, silence, and no thoughts. Here the natural bliss is experienced.
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Listen to the Music of Silence
It is said that when a musician recognises the music of silence within, he gives up his musical instrument. No doubt the musical instrument was played for excitement but by continuous introspection upon the experience, the restlessness of the mind starts reducing. Now playing the instrument for excitement not just feels redundant but also a hindrance. The outer music gets dropped as he remains immersed in the music of his existence which has been going on since eternity.
Focus on that which is constantly flowing from one’s existence, meaning listen to the silence. This will gradually make the consciousness subtle, transcend the senses and the mind, and will bring about the realisation of the supreme Self.
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Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, an enlightened master and an ardent devotee of Shrimad Rajchandraji, is the founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD) – a spiritual organisation with 206 centres across six continents advancing the path of Lord Mahavir. In June 2024, he will be in the UK for a series of life-transforming discourses.
