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Spirituality & The Power of Money.

Some may consider money as the root cause of all evil. However, it extends our consciousness toward the flow of abundance depending on how we use money—showing that spiritually, money is a neutral energy. It only serves as a medium of exchange; on its own, it is neither beneficial nor evil. It provides that power and influence to determine what we want or need and how we behave physically and mentally. It is like technology—creative and destructive, depending on usage. In today's world, money is crucial, like water and air, to live comfortably. It is a tool to enhance material growth while spiritually revealing whether we have earned righteously or not. Anything in excess tends to go bad, and so is the case with money. Spirituality guides us to the values concerning money, how and why we should be content with clarity, and the ability to understand why sharing with all that exists in togetherness and oneness is essential.

Spirituality teaches us not to identify or attach to anything to avoid suffering. You are not to decline, disrespect, discard, or disregard anything; love with grace and respect for all as one. Being sensitive to everyone and everything and not sentimental to a few is the ultimate mantra or the meaning of moksha in spiritualism. Feel and use everything mindfully with your third eye open, for there is enough for everyone. Likewise, money and mindful energy can complement each other if applied righteously to fulfill what we desire to avail, but not abuse.

Money can enhance your spiritual pursuits; like in my personal life, spirituality became the prime focus to attain clarity about life's meaning and purpose after becoming content with not wanting more of this or that, except what is necessary through money. I repeat, the essence of life lies in finding contentment and clarity in every aspect based on the standards or benchmarks you use. Money provides that freedom to explore within and discover who and what you are behind what we call personality (false mask), cleverly superimposed on the substratum of your unique individuality from all that exists. Hence, balancing the material with the spiritual is essential; both contribute and complement each other in the wholesomeness of life. Spiritual aspirations and material responsibilities work in unison to align your financial goals with spiritual values. Righteously earn and enjoy wealth, for you are here to celebrate, where gratitude over greed, selflessness over selfishness, and self-awareness over self-esteem or self-importance is your entitlement and answer to enjoy a rightful living with financial success.

Therefore, irrespective of what many would say negatively about money, we all require and cannot survive without it. Economic prosperity will remove you from insecurities, fears, doubts, and unquestioning beliefs about mythical, mystical, unsound, and illogical beliefs, making you mentally healthy. You will come across some who claim that they do not care about money or what it provides, especially those who do not have enough but inwardly want more. Such statements may seem confusing or sometimes even understandable, but only in theory—never underestimate the power of money. Politicians, pundits, padres, and everybody else require money to survive in our modern world.

Now, let's go further in our spiritual outlook beyond money and happiness—you take on a journey of wholesomeness, oneness, peacefulness, like-mindedness, and mindfulness. It is that gradual transcendence transforming from health, wealth, and wisdom to wean away from all that you identify and attach to become a witness through your soul of all that a mind does in its wants in this and that, from here and there, for its likes and dislikes. A self-knowledgeable person considers a wealthy life spiritually successful only if they know their existence beyond the body, mind, and the individual soul, allowing the embedded aware spiritual energy to overpower their devilish deeds with divinity. Therefore, spirituality is not against money; it is a tool for the spirit to make the mind aware of the greater purpose of finding salvation. Integrating both in one's life, you live a life of material astuteness with spiritual insight since the material and the spiritual comprise the same whole.

The power of money lies not in its physical aspect but in its energy ability and capacity to interchange goods and services. The force of cosmic energy attracts a magnetic field of supply in various forms. The most significant art of spiritual life is to be self-aware, to discover the true self, and to realize there is no self but the spirit engaged in the dualities of life through its body and mind and how to celebrate life. Second is how to make money to satiate your desires, gratify your body and mind, and serve and share your abundance with others. Money ultimately funds all philanthropic works except those that are harmful.

From sinners to saints, all are thinking of money. The advantages of money are unquestionable, but it has negative traits when mismanaged, misused, or misunderstood. Some of the negative factors include addictive behaviors, neglect of personal well-being, inflated ego, feelings of isolation and loneliness, psychological issues resulting in anxiety and stress, leading one to criminal activities to amass more and more extra money, disturbing personal relationships to social interactions, lust and greed, and many, many more. It's not about money but how you use money, rightfully or not, and if you wish to rectify it, are you self-aware to avoid disasters or recklessness? Enough money allows better preparation, reaction, and recovery from various factors, reasons, and emergencies. 

Money can lead you towards disaster if mismanaged or while making reckless decisions, such as overindulgence or investing in risky or unaware ventures. Adequate financial resources can provide safety nets, allowing us to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, such as retrieving financial savings in times of need. Further, I have experienced and realized that the more you give and share, the more you receive—this law of giving leads to more significant tangible or intangible rewards. Generosity leads to favorable results if you engage in acts without expectations. You also cannot deny that money positively influences our minds with the abovementioned ways we feel, act, and live. Money may not provide lasting happiness, but offers ease, comfort, security, and tremendous opportunities.

The major problem with money is that the thirst for money always continues, and its power is unlimited. We continue to accumulate more than we want, and that desire never ends. There are two ways to answer this problem: you need not renounce money, live in the present, moment to moment in meditative awareness, and drop future thoughts as much as you can from your mind. Second, befriend contentment - real richness emanates from contentment. It reduces being restless and reckless by not chasing more than you need. In the Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna clarifies true yogis find contentment and tranquility in the present moment and practice moderation in every aspect of their lives.

The mind is all about desires, starting from the desire to live and continue to live. Contentment transcends desire; it springs from mindful living. You cannot stop desires, but you can constantly watch and be aware of the worth of every desire. Contentment is bliss; it is that state of mind when you attain peace and tranquillity in all you possess, even if what you have may be less than your equals. Being content, the satisfaction you realize reaches its optimum, and our spiritual journey begins. It cultivates humility and simplicity, cherishing what you have and appreciating where you have reached. We neither feel superior nor inferior nor compare with others to go further toward transcendence to evolve and transform.

Please remember everything is a manifestation of the spirit, as with money; it is also a presentation and illustration of energy. Money, as we know, is essential for comfort and security, providing happiness. Spirituality is more profound, giving wholesomeness and fulfillment, which money cannot. Money offers happiness, whereas spirituality provides peace of mind. We require a balance between the opposing forces, accepting the tension between material and spiritual usefulness. Money can facilitate existential requirements alongside spiritual growth, providing that transcendence of fulfilling both with equal grace and respect to evolve righteously in life with divine deeds for the sake of peace of mind in its qualitative state of divineness. 

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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DRAMA OF LIFE

The "drama of life" refers to that illusory interplay connecting individual emotions, experiences, and entanglements we all enact in our personal lives to create a name and fame to project our persona in life. The world is a stage, and we all play a unique role in becoming something while awake and alive. Each of us plays our part in a universal set-up that cuts across cultures, castes, and creeds in a limited space and time, often knowingly and sometimes not consciously or subconsciously aware. This experiential life may be a journey, dance, theatre, or random events. Still, you will agree it is undeniably exquisite, versatile, and deeply human, where from nothing, you become something to go back into nothing when the drama ends.

In this drama, there is always uncertainty. However confident or learned you may be, events and incidents are never the same and lasting. You must adjust and adapt to perform differently as per every circumstance. The play continues in a dichotomy with dualities, where you must choose and balance between the good and the evil, plus and minus, positive and negative, and the material with the spiritual. It all depends upon how your mind intelligently takes you on a roller-coaster ride between the dual forms of this and that for your likes and dislikes, determining how good a player you are in this dance or drama of life. 

The mind and the world we perceive are illusory since science and philosophy admit that we are only vacant in space. All that exists is energy, which can change virtually into particles possessing specific significance and activity in the universe's nothingness. Love, reality, and truth are illusory because they change with space, time, and circumstances. It means our concept of reality, which we perceive through our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, merely interprets what we feel as tangible, which is not. Actual reality needs to be unchanging, uninterrupted, and permanent, like the sky and not the clouds that cover the sky. The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta considers only the ultimate reality. The absolute non-dual energy from which all subset interchangeable energies in matter and consciousness emerge and return to superimpose on the ultimate reality. It tells us that illusions occur in the drama we play in life, presuming permanence to temporal desires and emotions, identifying and attaching, and suggesting that what we believe as actual and permanent is not tangible in how we think, believe, and feel.  

A lot depends in this drama on the control over our random and reckless mind, with ever-changing, unmethodical thoughts interfering and distracting from your focused course of action, and whether you can mindfully awaken your soul to check and guide the mind. Also, a lot depends on how unforeseen changes by chance play their role, depending on your choices within the scope of your temporal reality. No path, journey, or play is smooth for any hero or a commoner. How you maneuver and steadily continue with adaptability and resilience defines whether you are a hero, coward, villain, or loser.

There will always be stress and strain in this play between our wants and achievements, between the highs and lows in our desires and emotions, the triumphs and the unwanted tragedies, and the pleasure and pains differing in each actor or player performing on an individual's level of intelligence and knowledge. In this drama, if you wish to be a star champion, you must be highly alert, attentive, and aware of everything, enhancing your consciousness to excel in your ambitious performances. However, despite your best efforts, you may need to realize the output you expect. With uncertainty and an ever-changing script, no one can accurately predict the results of every individual's life.

Shakespeare's famous line, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players," also shows that we have to play multiple roles in childhood, youth, middle age, and when we are old. Maturing while playing our roles, comparing with another with envy, lust, and greed, wanting more and more out of our actions, and not content, calm, or consistent, is what the ignorant subconscious mind in lower consciousness undertakes in illusions of its 'me and mine.' 

Further, in the web of relationships, we weave our roles in twists and turns with family, friends, and foes plotting and planning dynamic roles of romance, love, loyalty, and affection or in jealousy, betrayal, and suspicion, revealing how righteous you are or what you have become in a constantly changing life. All because during this life drama, we must make choices in every step, good or bad, for our likes and dislikes remain afloat with our heads held high. Our lives have different roles and responsibilities, and getting caught up in always wanting more can be easy. But if we learn to be content, clear, and consistent in our actions, we find inner peace and move on a virtuous spiritual journey.

In this drama, we often wonder about the meaning and purpose of life or, for that matter, what our identity is beyond our body and mind—are we supposed to create something meaningful or go with the flow of what others dictate, like we see most people merely following what they are told or have learned from their past knowledge? Over 99% of us are followers of past knowledge provided by parents, books, the media, teachers, masters, politicians, religions, and gurus, simply enacting our mundane roles aimlessly, progressing while copying each other with no distinct individuality. Knowledge is more of a recollection of the past derived from the memory and intellect of what you have gained from multiple sources unless you are intuitive, creative, and innovative.

For this reason, Spiritualism asserts you are neither the mind nor the body since you claim both these facades to be yours, meaning both are instruments for you to use and not to be used by them. Body, mind, and soul are the quantitative individualized self of what you are, and the universal spirit is that qualitative self of 'who you are,' settled in the soul (super conscious section) as absolute awareness. It means the mind first needs to become aware and then conscious to conceive what it perceives from its sensory organs. The mind within the brain becomes alive from the level of its metaphysical, aware-conscious energy. Therefore, we are spiritual beings going through human experiences engaged through our cognitive minds in the relative dualities of life, functioning in this and that for those emotional desires for the minds' likes and dislikes that appear to disappear in a designated space and time. The three prime sections of the mind—superconscious, conscious, and subconscious—individually identify and attach to all its emotional desires in lust and greed for its 'me and mine.' Therefore, as we continue to play the drama of life, our personalities (false masks) keep changing from our selfish behavior, experiences, morals, and relationships.

Shakespeare said, "Life is a play, and the world is a stage." It suggests that we are born to play our unique finite role, with no fixed script; it keeps changing per our desires and circumstances as we grow, enter, play, and finally exit. In this play, we are all interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent in unity and continuity, being a part of one complete form of absolute energy from which everything emerges and goes back into the same. We are a composite unit of physical, mental, and spiritual energy, where all individual souls connect with a single source of absolute awareness—the universal spirit, which Spiritualism recognizes as the highest energy ability and the divine essence.

This drama stresses the meaning and purpose of life. Each player plays their existential role, determined to become something while alive—physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually in different directions for each player in pursuing personal goals. Every conscious and subconscious choice, direction, decision, and result reveals each storyline's difficulties. The divine spirit plays life's drama through the soul's consciousness, taking part and playing through body and mind from moment to moment, enjoying what we call life. The body, mind, and soul are supposed to embrace the joys and the sorrows with grace and respect, navigate the complexities of life, and celebrate to discover the secrets of the divine universal spirit in search of fulfillment.

The prehistoric Vedic science of Hinduism portrays the drama of life as a divine cosmic play between the absolute non-dual energy (Brahman) to exhibit and express its nature of duality, where all existences temporarily emerge in randomness to give birth and death as matter and consciousness in the universe. Advaita Vedanta's philosophy of nonduality suggests that everything emanates for the time being from a state of completeness, and when you take away from that completeness, what remains on both ends is also complete in its unity and continuity within the infinitude system of the cosmos. Similarly, quantum physics states in the Law of Conservation of Energy that energy is indivisible and is neither created nor destroyed; it is interchangeable from one form to another in varying abilities, with the total power remaining constant over time in an isolated system. In both subjects, all that exists is one and only Brahman, or absolute energy. Both have the same meaning—the highest ability or power refers to the divine spirit of aware energy. In contrast, all other transient subset energies appear to play their drama of existence in dualities, eventually disappearing from where they emerged. 

The theatre of the mind is an imaginative and illustrative play upon which the drama of consciousness unfolds. Therefore, in this imaginary and illusory world in which we live within restricted space and time, presuming all we identify and attach to as real is but transitory and fleeting. Hinduism refers to that as "Maya," which creates a world through our perceptions, concealing through consciousness the unreal as accurate; what seems existent is a drama for the mind to play and exit. Similarly, quantum physics proclaims what we presume as matter and consciousness are nothing but abilities of energy, whereas matter is an illusion of light energy. It means that human reality is merely a persistent drama. 

To conclude, life combines drama, games, and play. The drama blends choices, chances, changes, and circumstances, full of desires and decisions. Next, it enters a game like chess—circumventing challenges and conflicts depending on your skill and success. After that, if you are existentially present, you must be alert, attentive, and aware to cleverly balance life's dualities—a play of pleasures and pain unfolding your creativity and uniqueness to explore, endure, and experience to embrace your life story through your knowledge, which, as mentioned earlier, is but a recollection of borrowed data settled in your memory, which you egoistically refer to as yours. 

NAMASTE

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com (Best Spiritual Author)

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SPIRITUAL ATHEIST

A theist is a person who believes in the existence of God and deities without explanation. On the other hand, an atheist denies all religious beliefs of God or gods in any form or gender. A spiritual person is more of an atheist since he does not believe in any religious views or the presence of a God with a name and gender. He relies upon righteous living with good intentions and attitude in an actively calm manner, transcending towards that feeling of selflessness. A spiritual atheist embraces practices of spirituality without subscribing to beliefs of the supernatural as conventionally understood. The spiritual path involves self-exploration while experiencing a profound connection within the universe that embodies various forms of energy. To a spiritual atheist, God is a flow of supreme energy that is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, where all that exists is interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent in unity and continuity. Humans are endowed with this sublime spirit to express and exhibit their divine qualities through spiritual deeds in divinity from the inherent potentiality of divineness  – That Art Thou.

Rationalism and spirituality coexist in spiritual atheism by valuing spiritual experiences while maintaining a non-theistic outlook. Unlike traditional atheism, which often ignores such experiences, spiritual atheism believes in a fulfilling spiritual life without religious regulations or belief in a supernatural being. Through reason and evidence, spiritual atheists explore human consciousness, life's interconnectedness, and the mysteries of existence. They appreciate the cosmos' wonders without ascribing them to a supernatural realm. 

Mindfulness, meditation, and introspection are essential in spiritual-ness, nurturing self-awareness, stress control, and emotional depth. By advocating moral values, empathy, and social justice, spiritual atheists prioritize ethical and compassionate living and view moral behavior as advantageous for personal and societal well-being. They recognize the universe's interconnected nature and embrace scientific findings, particularly in quantum physics, as valuable insights into human existence. For those seeking a meaningful life beyond religious limitations, spiritual atheism provides a path that harmonizes spirituality and logic, endorsing values of interconnectedness, ethical behavior, and individual and collective development.

A spiritual atheist embarks on a journey of self-discovery, seeking answers not from any divine source but through human experiences and interactions with nature. They explore life's meaning, purpose, and interconnectedness with all that exists without invoking the supernatural. Various practices and techniques like meditative awareness from moment to moment while witnessing one's thoughts, feelings, and actions are employed not for spiritual enlightenment but to enhance mental clarity and emotional balance; this approach counters ego-consciousness with a profound belief in selfless service and the significance of spiritual growth.

The individual spirit is that being-ness, the source of all fresh and intuitive information that keeps your mind awake, active, aware, attentive, and alive to enhance your self-awareness and self-consciousness. The spiritual endeavors with self-knowledge beyond body and mind move toward self-awakening and self-awareness to achieve greater consciousness, as Krishna, Jesus, and Buddha did. He knows that we are all interconnected and interdependent in unity and continuity. He does not believe but recognizes that if you do not know your true self, what good is believing in a supernatural God as the Creator? God's existence cannot be attributed to a human, a gender, or a thing because it is the foundation or essence of everything. God is that infinite abstract metaphysical supreme energy that allows all finite existences, from subatomic particles to stars, to appear and disappear for the span of their existence. This divine energy is known as awareness in spiritual words. All realities become existential in the cosmos and unfold for our mind to observe, perceive and conceive after we are aware.

Awareness is the basis of all-knowing, manifesting in every perception to be conceived through consciousness. This means aware energy is the foundation of all we perceive – God or the Universe exists because our supreme energy of awareness says so. The highest quality of life is understanding anything with clarity, emphasizing the role of awareness. God-realization indicates spiritual intelligence through self-awareness, providing higher consciousness to know that the Creator and the creation are the same.

After all, what is a thought? We also know the mind is nothing but thought. Thought is a flow of electromagnetic energies carrying information in the brain. Where does this information originate? Thought is purely mechanical unless it becomes aware and, after that, conscious. This means for your mind to be aware, you require an awareness. Thus, thought is the objective of the subject of awareness, which qualifies as the presence of our being-ness. Therefore, all that eternally exists is being-ness/awareness as the supreme ability of energy, making the mind first aware and then conscious, activating thoughts to proceed with mental activity. 

In this manner, the self in everyone is determined by its intensity of aware energy indicated by the suffix of its -ness equating with universal self in totality, which the Upanishads propounded as Parabrahman (supreme power), ParamAtama (beyond soul) or Parmeshwar (beyond of all beyond). Today, Quantum Science refers to the same as energy, from which everything appears and disappears for the period of its existence, including our body and mind. Therefore, in the spiritual journey from self-awakening experience to its realization, one realizes there is no self to conceive. Self is a misnomer indicating toward body and mind, which is the quantum of what you are. Both belong to you as yours; the quality of who you are is determined not by the self but from the presence of its being-ness in selflessness in total awareness.

There is no god or deity present in the subject of spiritualism. You are God, Guru, and Self as one, not two – "Advait". The Creator and creations are the same: absoluteness (totality) inside that wholeness contains nothing but waves of vibrating energy with abilities to condense into solids, liquids or gases, or, say, matter and consciousness in the nothingness of this universe. Out of all the skills expressed and exhibited by energy, awareness is the most sublime and supreme, responsible for activating our consciousness in the mind to feel, think, intend, and experience. I reiterate that the subject of spiritualism is the pursuit of any individual spirit to realize the ultimate truth. Only because of you as aware energy - God and the Universe exist. There is no "I, me, or mine" in spirituality. You are that is-ness, the quality or state of being in the spirit in a selfless state of awareness within that being-ness, from which one can observe, perceive and measure the observable. The source of all intelligence before any thoughts emerge spontaneously and intuitively. What cannot be observed remains a mystery, which science has yet to explore, discover, create, experience, and reflect from its intensity of awareness. Spiritual aware energy is eternal, the supreme ability of energy, the divine resting within. Rest remains temporal to appear and disappear into that nothingness from where they emerged. It is the final truth of an authentic spiritualist. 

NAMASTE For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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THE GAME OF LIFE

We all play the Game of Life, whether we want to or not. A game played by the Creator, of whom we have no evidence. It is a complex game where the mind and soul clash. Material desires compete with spiritual growth, each pulling in separate directions. As much as our minds urge us to cling to material possessions, the wisdom of saints guides us to expand our perspective beyond the tangible world, asserting there's a spiritual essence to existence. Unlike transient competitions and pursuits, life unfolds in a profound struggle between the mind's faculties and the soul's essence. The mind obstructs the soul's path to fulfilment while the soul endeavours to realize its spiritual self; trapped by the mind in emotional desires, we do not realize that these are ultimately fleeting and illusory. 

Some people approach life with the purpose of only winning, trying to accumulate and attach as much wealth, status, and possessions as possible. The mind employs an array of thoughts as weaponry, including apprehensions about the future and reflections on the past, all aimed at diverting the soul from its course. As we progress towards soulful enlightenment, we inevitably encounter this mental apparatus. Yet, amidst this internal strife, we uncover an inner spiritual dimension that coexists within the physical realm, offering solace, insight, and a connection to the Divine. We navigate these realms through meditative awareness, discovering tranquillity, wisdom, and the ultimate truth.

The game begins with two players – the mind versus the soul. The game's design is such that on one side, we have the cognitive mind reacting from borrowed knowledge gathered from outer sources, and intellectually, we get overwhelmed by emotional desires with identifications and attachments for its 'me and mine,' which we refer to as Ego. The other is that silent player witnessing the mind's thoughts spontaneously, acting intuitively and intelligently at any moment. We refer to that as the soul. As life continues, the tussle between the material self and the spiritual persists.

The mind, on one end, manoeuvres with multiple strategies, wanting more and more, leading a life entirely of emotional desires to possess and accumulate physical and financial objects or to drink, eat, have sex, and be merry. The other, the soul, moves selflessly, checking and guiding the mind on a path of truth, love, and divinity.

The game matures when the mind becomes aware of the soul's nature and experiences how to go beyond material desires in bringing the innate divine and the devil, the good and evil, positive and negative, towards their source of oneness from where they separated. Life is nothing but a movement of energy in unity and continuity vibrating in multiple frequencies, which is indivisible and can neither be created nor destroyed. There is no difference between the Creator and the creation; one requires self-knowledge to self-discover and self-realize; all that ultimately exists is that eternal one unified spirit of total awareness, enjoying the temporal game of life of illusions in dualities of this and that while the game is on.

The meaning behind this game of life is for all to comprehend that spirit is the sole determining factor, whether material or for spiritual living. We are spiritual beings going through human experiences. Nonetheless, both are essential – a good house, car, favourable bank balance, etc. but with spiritual insight primarily because material possessions and pleasures tend to demand more and more. We must counter this excessive lifestyle with a higher standard of life, which comes through contentment, clarity, and calmness if we wish to transcend into clairvoyance with peacefulness.

So play the Game of Life correctly - with joy, gratitude, and intent. Wisdom lies in the skilful balancing of both material and the spiritual, like a tightrope walker, where you balance the two ends of the pole of living in happiness and sadness, accepting both with grace and equipoise. Realize a state of mind worth working, playing, and living for yourself and the world. This realization is actualized only when you play this game of illusions, keeping strictly in mind that you should not be overly tilted on either side, whether material or spiritual. You are here not intending to be a saint or a sinner but to celebrate life in its wholesomeness. The key to success lies in balancing these forces, finding contentment amidst the clamour of wants.

Awareness of the soul's role leads to fulfilment, transcending the game of duality to choose this or that. Eventually, life's purpose is found in the journey, not by reaching a predetermined end. Embrace the adventure, play with wonder and purpose, and celebrate the richness of existence. That's winning the game we all signed up for.

NAMASTE

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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Knowledge is Equal to Darkness

The concept that "knowledge is power" is widely accepted in the digital era. Nevertheless, an opposing view proposes that "knowledge is synonymous with darkness," questioning traditional perspectives on knowledge. This idea encourages contemplation of the complex interplay between ignorance, enlightenment, and knowledge.

Knowledge comprises data, insights, and competencies from learning and lived experiences. It fosters comprehension, illuminates the intellect, and enables individuals and communities. Yet, philosophical and pragmatic arguments validate the comparison of knowledge to darkness.

In this age of information overload, people often confuse the content they consume from various sources with actual knowledge. Engaging in debates and discussions, they display their broad understanding of diverse subjects. However, ancient sages warned that knowledge could foster friction and conflict.

During the creation of profound Vedic philosophies and Upanishads in ancient times, the wise individuals of that era cautioned that the unlearned could be led astray by their thirst for knowledge. They believed that while ignorance kept individuals in the dark, enlightenment through knowledge could worsen matters. Consequently, traditional knowledge limits our understanding and spiritual growth by fixating on superficial aspects.

The core principle of this timeless wisdom is that the pursuit of knowledge driven by self-serving motives can mislead individuals. It has the potential to breed insecurity and entangle us in worldly matters, diverting us from the spiritual truths that elude us. The sages proclaimed that to achieve true wisdom; one must transcend the limitations of the mind and rise to a heightened state of awareness.

The first assertion might be somewhat understandable, but the second seems quite perplexing. How can knowledge lead one into greater darkness? This is particularly challenging to grasp today, where children are frequently told by their elders and teachers that "Knowledge is Power!"

However, a deeper examination reveals that this perspective makes much sense. Ancient sages juxtaposed complementary terms: "Vidya" and "Avidya," loosely translating to knowledge and ignorance. According to their wisdom, both worldly knowledge and ignorance prevent spiritual growth.

If you are ignorant, there is no spiritual growth. If you possess ample knowledge, you might be inclined to demonstrate it to others, impeding your spiritual development as your emphasis shifts to amassing and exhibiting knowledge. We frequently aim to display our advanced comprehension by gaining worldly wisdom, but this wisdom is limited. The material world is constantly changing, continuously evolving, discarding, and amassing.

What was true yesterday may not be true today. What you hold as truth today may not be valid tomorrow. Truth is fluid and ever-changing. So naturally, this leads you toward darkness. We can never be sure of eternal truth, which will always remain true. In essence, you always stay unsure and in the dark. This is what they meant when they said you stay in the dark regardless of whether you are ignorant or knowledgeable. It's like plus and minus, positive and negative, good and bad, hot and cold. Just as we do not understand happiness without knowing sadness, similarly, knowledge and ignorance are two sides of the same coin. 

Unlike having deep knowledge of just one factor of the world, the spirit embodies metaphysical understanding, while the body and mind hold worldly insights. The mind is rarely at peace, constantly buzzing with chatter and shifting beliefs. Disagreements, arguments, and debates are ever-present and disposed to arguments and differences of opinion. You can bet your mind will develop a counterargument if there is an argument. The cycle never ends. According to them, when all worldly knowledge ends, the truth and the ultimate reality remain.

The chattering mind is the observer observing the observed. All three segregate, but when the mind becomes still, the observer, observing, and the observed become one, there are no changes. There is no separation. What remains is only observation: the seeker seeking the result realizes that there is nothing to seek. You are everything, and the universe exists because of you. Everything that you perceive and conceive already exists.

That is how the subject of spiritualism relates to the topic of knowledge. It states that until and unless you know your true self, there cannot be self-awakening, self-enlightenment or self-realization. Ultimately, you realize there is nothing to enlighten or experience because you are already enlightened and possess unlimited potential in your brain.

The potential is lying dormant; all it needs is to awaken. The source of intelligence comes out spontaneously and intuitively and, in turn, comes out when the mind is still. This is why stillness is essential in the matters of spiritualism. Stillness means the mind is focused and centered, not wavering or in constant chatter. Stillness allows the mind to go into a state of meditative awareness. You are focused entirely on the present moment. This is when your inner intelligence awakens. It comes out to discover everything of all that exists. Worldly knowledge multitasks, hindering this process, which is the remaining darkness because it will not lead you to its destination. It will remain incomplete.

"Knowledge is equal to darkness" is a powerful reminder of the complexities and contradictions within human comprehension. Knowledge can empower and enlighten, yet it can also blur and burden. Adopting a balanced approach, we navigate the interplay between light and dark, fostering a deeper, more subtle understanding of our environment and ourselves. Ultimately, true enlightenment lies in the wisdom to use our knowledge with humility, responsibility, and compassion rather than merely accumulating information.

NamasteFor more information please visit www.giankumar.com ( Spiritual Author )

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WHO IS GOD?

Who is God?  The most straightforward answer I can think of is: He is who you believe. Each one of us has our image of God. As the Christians say, He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is whatever and whomever you may choose Him to be. We all worship the same God but see Him through different eyes and minds. However, we also have other ways to experience Him. 

We all know that man came first, and God followed. He is an artificial invention, concept, and belief. There is no unanimity or accord on the nature and existence of God, and each religion has its own set of ideas. And yet, His effect on humanity is tremendous, and most of us blindly believe in the religion provided by others. For this reason, God has become the fundamental basis for enhancing one's idea of the ultimate supreme being.

Our impression of God changes when we evolve from the physical and psychological into that formless spiritual phase. Higher knowledge, spiritual awakening, and meditation make us realize the ambiguities behind our unquestioning beliefs. These include fables, dogmas, and various rituals, which make us spend time and money in the name of God.  God will remain a fundamental concept of faith and belief if we think and determine from the thinking mind. This faith passes from one generation to another, and the existence of God becomes unquestionable. However, on the path towards spirituality, the Creator and the creation are the same, and you experience God rather than follow Him.

It is irrelevant to know who God is but to know 'what' God is. He is a quality to experience, reflecting in our divine deeds out of divinity for the sake of divineness. Spiritual awareness, fearlessness, and selflessness are the qualities through which we experience God.

We create God out of our imagination, fear, and want. The actual church or temple is within; all you need to do is awaken your soul and impartially witness your ever desirous and selfish mind.

God and religion have become synonymous because each religion has its own set of beliefs that consider both to be personal, expressing superhuman powers. However, if we go deeper into the core of any religion and God, we discover that the ones who founded these religions realized their enlightenment purely through personal experiences. They learned the same oneness in the inclusiveness of all humanity. They recognized the nature of reality to be the same from their own wholehearted experiences. 

However, the interpretations differed when they expressed their encounters through word communication. It led to separate beliefs, which their followers condensed into faith, leading to organized religion. While the founders had personal realizations, their followers were limited to their blind intellectual following. Hence, instead of religion, religiousness in religiosity towards all existence is far more significant than any proper noun. God is more of a verb to experience than a noun.

 Many wars have been fought over religious differences in the name of God, and spiritual beliefs justify violence and persecution. When we view human personalities as gods, it is for their higher consciousness rather than their physical self. Let's consider, as told by science and spiritualism, that the Creator and the creation are one. The Supreme is that impersonal spirit or waves of aware, conscious energy. Though it is challenging to comprehend, this abstract formation is considered by many to be divine, signifying the highest attribute in the movement of supreme power.

We notice inevitable disillusionment in the youth today regarding religion and towards God. It is because there are too many unquestioning beliefs with unanswered questions. They wish to know why this almighty sitting above, our Creator, cannot do anything about today's misery and suffering. If he is Superman, he has disappointed us, doing a miserable job that has resulted in all the destruction, distress, and discomfort we see around us.

Contrary to the misconception about multiple gods in Hinduism, they worship one Supreme Reality through different names and figures. It becomes more accessible for the masses to relate to a symbol or figure rather than worship a metaphysical reality. They may worship a tree, mountain, river, or any other object that appeals to them since all forms of matter and consciousness are an extension of the same Absolute Reality. No physical or abstract existence is left out because all attributes are part of the supreme spirit.

So, when we enter the paradigm of metaphysical reality, we enter an abstract rather than a material presence. You become more of an aware, conscious spiritual energy independent of matter. Here, we explain the Universe not in the solidity of its forms but as a connection of those forms to its ultimate, infinite, formless reality. We may physically be a continuation of the animal realm. Still, we are more of a potential part of that spiritual kingdom, which is beyond everything, finally merging into the nothingness of that dark energy encompassing the Universe.

This phenomenon collaborates when there is clarity about the nature of the Ultimate. Despite so much diversity, we are all connected by the same ultimate reality. You must remember that the ultimate can only be one and not two, though we may express the same through multiple names and transient forms. Therefore, you can relate to the ultimate in any way you wish since all minds are unique; it entirely depends upon your belief, faith, and experience. 

In Hinduism, the comprehensive idea of God, given to this infinite, ultimate energy of the Universe, is the Absolute or Supreme Reality they refer to as "Shiva." Metaphysically, it is more of a principle in the form of spirit, considered the highest attribute in the form of aware energy of the Universe through which you acquire the ability to become conscious of all you perceive.

Therefore, the concept of God, which is more of a realized state of complete awareness in pure consciousness, is more evident in human personality than in an abstract supernatural state. We, in turn, are also a potentially minuscule part of the most articulate manifestation of this Supreme reality in the form of God on this earth – 'Thou art That.'

The principle of the Universe is fluid, where all forms originate and go back into the same. All these expound through language and words; hence, they differ in their interpretations. Religious experiences are one of the best sources to come close to understanding the nature of our reality. I repeat, if we look at and follow religion from its periphery, it will form a jargon of caste, culture, creeds, and dogmas mainly meant to create fear for us to follow its tenets. However, if you go deeper into the centre of any religion, the message will be the same - the realization of oneness purely as an experience. It is how what the founders of all faiths wished it to be. Therefore, the essence of the message of God is not found by unquestionably following any designated religion; it becomes evident when we practice and experience its virtues in religiousness with religiosity.

Excerpt from the book "God and Beyond" by Gian Kumar.

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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Who Am I – In Search of the Self.

Alter your perceptions and seek -Who Am I? It is the most crucial and the substratum of the subject of Spiritualism. A lot depends on whether you consider the divine a deity or a supreme cosmic ability of energy. Only after you accept this intuitive ability from which all that we know about God and the universe will your mind be able to comprehend the meaning behind the spiritual axiom of the creator and its creation being the same and not two as ascribed in the Vedas declaring the first great saying to be Prajnanam Brahma – Intelligence is Divine.  

Discovering who we are is a journey that contributes to the growth and spiritual development toward finding inner peace and fulfillment. It's essential to explore the connection between our personality and the more expansive universe to grasp the nature of our actual reality. After recognizing one's limitations, it is necessary to concentrate on areas that need improvement. The soul containing the cosmic spirit is your guide, based on which your mind rides.

Furthermore, when you say – my body, mind, or thoughts- indicate these are yours, you are not them like you consider material objects such as my phone or my house. Body and mind belong to you; they are your instruments to use and not to be used. You will never say I am mind or thoughts; they are yours. So, who owns everything your mind erroneously claims as 'me and mine'? If you rule out everything that you presume as 'you are' from the cognitive mind, what is left is the actual owner. Now, all you need to know after this is - Who Am I?

Over millennia, understanding the Self remains mysterious despite access to spiritual knowledge. It frequently intertwines with consciousness, ego, and our sense of "I." Because there are multiple interpretations and meanings associated with this concept in science, theology, philosophy, and different religions, it becomes a subject of opinion.

Through introspection and meditation, Eastern philosophies have delved into self-knowledge, offering insights that deserve consideration. The question "Who am I?" holds significance in Hindu and Buddhist perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of self-inquiry to self-realization, transcending the ego, unlike the view of other religions that often separates creation from its creator. 

Understanding the Self's essence and connection to the cosmos is fundamental to spiritual exploration. Modern scientific explorations, particularly in Quantum Physics, resonate with ancient Vedic wisdom. The Vedas express that all existence is fundamentally unified—eternal, infinite, transcending space and time—as inseparable energy. This concept aligns with the understanding that the creator and creation are not separate entities but interconnected in the universe's vast nothingness, where unchanging eternal waves of energy exist. Essentially, you are a collection of electron clouds entangled by the principle of non-locality in Quantum Mechanics controlling the universe.

This convergence between ancient philosophies and modern scientific perspectives emphasizes the unity and interconnectedness underlying existence, transcending dualistic views and highlighting the intrinsic nonduality of all that exists from which everything in the forms of matter and consciousness appears to disappear. What eternally survives is the ultimate truth- we are all nothing but energy, where the supreme ability is the spiritual awareness from which everything becomes known, representing the creator and creation.

To sum up, being is what self-realization entails, not becoming. It marks the end of seeking, acquiring, and possessing. The truth—the radiant Self—shines forth when the seeker dissolves. It's the complete dissolution of the ego. Ultimately, self-realization reveals that there's no one to realize the Self; the Self embodies truth, knowledge, and bliss and is that boundless nondual presence in the form of being-ness or awareness. 

Therefore, self-discovery is profoundly personal and ongoing; it requires us to transcend influences and dive into who we are. Approaching this journey with a receptive mindset enables individuals to experience personal progress and self-improvement. For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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WHO AM I?

It is said that by the year 2050, we will be able to download our mind into a machine, and artificial intelligence, in turn, will be able to compute all that the mind accomplishes. Then what is it that separates us from artificial intelligence displayed by machines? It is that spiritual energy that makes our mind aware and conscious of who we are to discover the ultimate nature of our reality. 

Go within yourself; observe and explore to understand and experience the nature of your true Self and realize whatever you seek. You will fathom that you are just a part of that eternal universal aware energy that appears from nothing and disappears into nothing. The whole Universe connects us in unity and continuity, which science in Quantum Physics refers to as energy.

So, WHO AM I? One question - three words, yet so challenging to answer. From time immemorial, every curious human being, ranging from academics and scientists to philosophers and psychologists, has pondered the question, 'Who am I? Am I the body and mind or something more?' Yet, we have no concrete answer or scientific evidence concerning what I see before me in the mirror. We all exist in this world without knowing the essential nature of our being. It may be easy to know 'what' you are from the crucial physical and mental characteristics one reveals, but observing that extract or the essence of 'who you are' is another topic.   

According to Indic philosophy, breath and food sustains the body and mind. As long as the body and brain remain, both persist. What you eat affects your body and mind, and what you accumulate through information nourishes your memory. However, I am sure my physical and mental characteristics do not constitute my whole Self. They may be a part of what I am since I often keep claiming that body and mind belong to me and are simply mine.

One thing is also sure - 'I Am' is present in every thought I think, analyze, experience, and realize. It travels with my thoughts into the past, present, and future. It is because of me that my thoughts originate. So, how can I presume that the same thoughts I can see, read, observe, experience, alter, and command are the totality of me? They can be a part of me since my mind and body belong to me, but can they be the whole of me?

The above indicates that I am something beyond my sensory thoughts, limited to my five senses. They chatter randomly and remain restless until I command them to be silent. I often notice a deep, subtle voice within, telling me about my thoughts, especially when they wander. Therefore, who is this actual 'I'? Is it my thoughts or the presence of some extract witnessing my thoughts? 

I agree that the mind may be the essence of who I am, and thoughts are the media through which they are expressed and determined. However, I will never allege that "I am body, nor mind," but will always assert and say 'my body or my mind.' Because both the body and mind belong to me, I am more than the mind, but again, the question arises: who am I? Science and Spiritualism have made vigorous attempts to answer this question, but somehow and somewhere, they differ in their opinions. When it comes to pointing out its actual abstraction, it becomes challenging because there is no standard agreement for its proper definition and explanation. 

The reason is that the mind habitually accepts what is physical, measurable, and observable. It becomes challenging to convince the mind of any abstract reality that we are also subsumed under by impersonal aware energy called spirit besides the body and mind. Moreover, since I subconsciously give in to what my mind incessantly demands, I remain enslaved and bound to my mind. I am exploited by my mind, which rules and navigates my life without my participation, despite being the captain of my body and psyche. This happens because the mind remains ignorant and unconscious about itself. The mind remains clueless about this until it acquires self-knowledge from the subject of Spiritualism, declaring you are a spiritual being going through human experiences. 

This spirit is vital to physical reality, which science cannot recognize. Although the words 'to be, being, and becoming' are parts of the same existence, they have subtle differences. To 'be' is that physical Self, the presence of that being-ness is that core spirit and the 'becoming' of something is the content in a totality of what you are, which reflects its presence from your consciousness. If awakened to this knowing, a seeker begins to understand that the Self, one learns from thoughts, emotions, and memories, fades with time; what remains is that the spirit can the soul, which creates an aura of uniqueness through your consciousness. 

The body and mind appear and disappear into the infinitude of the Universe. They may be temporarily authentic for the limited period they exist because what changes constantly cannot be taken as real. The ultimate reality is the spirit - non-changing, absolute, space-less, limitless, and timeless, the substratum of all, within which everything superimposes. Being is the force of energy of that individual spirit in awareness, and becoming is the field that radiates through consciousness spiritually. Material becoming relates more to ego-consciousness, a temporary mechanical expansion, while the spiritual dimension imparts a certain evolvement and transformation from the force of its eternal aware energy. For this reason, we are considered spiritual beings going through the human experience. 

This awareness makes the mind conscious of becoming something - what you are or have evolved in the form of your consciousness. Therefore, the memory from your subconscious enables you to remember the temporary physical identity of that 'thinking self' consumed with a name and gender. Alternatively, the intensity of aware energy spontaneously without the help of memory or the intellect helps you to consciously qualify in the form of intelligence to know later all you learn from the subatomic to the stars.

Though these three components of life - body, mind, and spirit - are inherent and intrinsic to each other, being a part of the same indivisible absolute energy, they differ in their forms – gross, subtle, and core while they exist. We seriously need to ponder here the relationship between the subject in the form of spirit - 'who I am,' with the object - body and mind. Just as the object cannot be isolated from its subject, we cannot separate the spirit from the body, mind, and individualized soul. 

In other words, the potential force of aware energy within any individual being is inherently creating its field of consciousness to become something through body and mind. From the subject arises that objective, being different forms of energy, maintaining an inseparable force/field relationship with each other, and yet remain in their distinctions. Hence, this being-ness or the abstract existent, which we call the spirit, is a part of the universal aware energy seated within our mind to kick-start its psychic operations. 

The mind is more of a central processing unit functioning within a network of neural pathways through neurons in an electromagnetic-chemical field, mainly comprising thoughts derived from various brain centres. These are waves of conscious kinetic energy vibrating in different frequencies. It characterizes the movements created by the potential force of aware energy, generating a field of consciousness for its master. Human beings are the only creatures who have this prerogative and also need to become mindful of the presence of their past awareness. 

The master of these thoughts is that observation, the witness or the presence, which enables the mind to become aware and conscious. Since most of us are not mindful of the presence of this master, none of us seem to know who we are. The real 'I Am' unconsciously escapes in most cases while we live in illusions, engulfed by chaos, misery, and suffering. It remains dormant or asleep as the master of your thoughts unless the mind is alert to self-observe, self-experience, and self-realize the same. Otherwise, the mind continues to function subconsciously in lower consciousness.

This state of aware energy determines 'who you are,' from which you can evaluate your mind, body, and the Universe. It triggers your aliveness, which is sustained by breath, expanded by food, evolved by the degree of consciousness, and transformed by elevating the standards of humanity in divinity for that divineness of who and what you are – "That Art Thou."

We observe every situation with awareness, becoming conscious of every moment, analyzing every factor with intellect, and discriminating between right and wrong through intelligence. I expand and evolve beyond the cognitive thoughts of 'me and mine' to become healthy, wealthy, and wise. I am composed of aware abstract energy subsumed in an individual body and mind; we give a name and identity. Since most of us do not bother to know our actual Self as the spirit, we continue to exist, accepting and obeying unconsciously from the sub-conscious section, whatever the mind dictates, while functioning in auto mode through its memory and intellect. We remain in a vicious cycle of pleasure and pain, presuming the body and mind to be that actual Self, which it is not. 

The presence of 'I Am' confirms and validates my thoughts but remains aloof from space, time, and worldly objects. However, the moment I attach a separate name and identity to my false 'thinking self,' I enter into a mistaken persona called -ego. This altered awareness or ego goes on a roller coaster ride, where the mind separates the oneness of the spirit, relating and experiencing dualities of good and evil, positive/negative, etc., in opposites. This unconscious thinking-self gets subconsciously attached to the body and mind, creating a temporary self-consciousness, which the mind presumes is the true Self, but it is not. Unconsciously, it merges with an illusionary world of dichotomies, restlessly floating back and forth between happiness and sadness, right and wrong. 

We should understand that this false 'I Am' is not coequal to the world but is only the source of our knowledge about this imaginary world. It is away from its actual reality, despite emerging from within the force of its altered field of consciousness, and unless checked, keeps revolving randomly in ego-consciousness.

The witnessing Self or the soul represents the highest dimension of the mind, which also prevails within the realms of the mind within a limited space and time. It is that indirect subtle determinant, controller, and commander of the mind. It is the hub of that wheel on which the four spokes of the mind move in a restricted space and time, perceiving through sensory organs within its limitations of cause and effect. The four spokes, as given by our scriptures, relate to intellect, memory, ego, and consciousness. These are stabilized by the hub, meaning the actual Self exists as the individual presence or being-ness we refer to as the soul with a certain degree of awareness. The hub of intuitive awareness is beyond the cognitive mind and remains still while the spokes of this wheel rigorously swirl and engage with the physical world. A spiritual aspirant, after awakening, becomes aware and conscious of this psychic wheel and synchronizes it as one unit. 

To know and understand the actual you, who is beyond perception and impersonal, you must first understand the nature of these four dimensions. Afterward, you must observe and witness them separately, focusing on your thoughts, speech, and actions. Your authentic Self, the soul, will emerge as the primary source of manifestation through individual quality of awareness. 

This centripetal force acting as the individual witnessing Self can attract all three - body, mind, and soul - into one absolute unit. Initially, it witnesses through the cognitive mind. However, as the mind evolves and transforms, it is supposed to dissolve and merge in totality with awareness in pure consciousness. At this final stage, the seeker realizes they are no different from the sought; there is no seeking of the Self since all that exists is eventually confined to a single unitary universal energy, the spirit comprising multiple interchangeable abilities.

Therefore, you are a part of the supreme ability of energy in the form of universal awareness covered in sheaths of physical and psychic energies, superintending and supervising through aware, conscious energy how the body and mind should expand and evolve. The state of your mind determines the 'quality' of aware energy, and your consciousness is established by the 'quantity' of its awareness. How you expand and evolve through spiritual awareness determines the transformation of your true Self. In humans' case, growth is not only in its being but in expansion, evolvement, and transformation from its being-ness. It is in that becoming something out of nothing permits humans to first become aware and then conscious of their reality.

The thinking mind is for the material world, and the intuitive, instinctive for the spiritual; both arise and retire in the mind. When both do not function in conformity, they wobble randomly without the stability of the hub. This is why most of us exist in an illusionary state of self-deception. However, when all four spokes of your mind unite into one in totality, you experience the actual Self. 

The cosmic and cognitive minds are fundamentally aware and associated with this aware energy. The cosmic mind causes the Universe to function in precision, and the latter plays in dualities, relating to things in opposites to experience what we call life. They exercise their respective minds in their style and manner, where the creator and its creation are none other than the presence of this indivisible unitary aware energy expressing diverse abilities. It would not have been possible for the mind to discover any part of the Universe if it was not acquainted with such awareness. Hence, the highest faculty amongst all forms of energies is established to absolute awareness referred to by the sages as "Para Brahman."

When atoms and molecules move randomly within the macro Universe or in the micro mind, there is entropy in destruction. However, there is creation when they are governed and regulated by this aware energy. This is how the cosmic and human minds have evolved. The Universe as the macrocosm and the human mind as the microcosm comprise aware energy from which the concept and nature of reality through perception is conceived. Therefore, without knowing such subjective experiences and their realization, one should not conclusively claim that salvation is realized only when we transcend the mind. 

One cannot ignore the mind, the vital link between the cosmos and the Self, clearly revealing that the creator and the creation are one, not two. The Self can be realized only in awareness by the participation of all three - body, mind, and spirit - as one. The spirit is that 'Transcendent' residing within, which illuminates the mind to perceive, conceive, and conceptualize its potential Self, which we call God – "Tat Tvam Asi." 

Therefore, once you know and understand 'who you are,' you shall also know that there is no more spiritual knowing after that. You are a part of that God, a potentiality, the supreme energy, and the microcosm of that universal aware energy, which subsumes all that is to be known. It exists in this infinite, eternal space without beginning or end. Not knowing 'who you are' restricts the knower from knowing the known, which keeps you helter-skelter searching for God in temples and churches. The mind will always remain in flux from its uncertainty; it expands and evolves to become something we all inwardly aspire from our aware energy. 

Therefore, 'I Am' is a part of that Universal Aware Energy, which comes and goes but leaves something behind in the minds of others for them to remember you, that individual Self, when you are no longer there. 

We all have a role to play in life, and unless we comprehend the true nature of our existence, we will never be able to transcend all those psychic illusions to realize the truth that life wishes us to know. What I leave behind - good, bad, or ugly - please keep in mind is the essence of that flowering, the becoming of something out of that exclusive being-ness. It allows me to endorse my unique signature, my individuality, while I am alive. I, while representing as a composite individual self, should make all effort to ponder deeply on this becoming, nurturing, and flowering to leave behind for others a particular fragrance, an eternal remembrance for now and forever.

Excerpts taken from the book 'Spiritual Power - God And Beyond' – by Gian Kumar

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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WHAT IS SPIRITUAL POWER

Spiritual power encompasses the inner reservoir of strength, wisdom, and resilience that individuals tap into through their spiritual beliefs and practices. This power derives from a profound connection to something greater than oneself, whether it be a higher power, the universe, nature, or a transcendent realm. It offers a deep sense of purpose, meaning, and connection beyond the material world, serving as a wellspring of inspiration and guidance.

On the journey to unlock spiritual power, one seeks to attain inner peace, uncover the underlying truths of love, truth, reality, and divinity, and ultimately discover one's identity beyond the physical and mental aspects of self. The ego defines power as the ability to shape circumstances to one's advantage, exert influence over others, or even dominate them to achieve personal objectives. In contrast, spiritual power refers to the inherent intelligence that permeates all aspects of existence, from the smallest particles to the vast cosmos, responsible for cultivating and harmonizing all manifestations of life. 

Each of us possesses an infinite potential for spiritual power, waiting to be harnessed to manifest our visions and desires. This cosmic energy acts as a balancing force against our desires and emotions, providing the spiritual perspective we all need. We must remember that we are spiritual beings undergoing human experiences, and this spiritual force resides within our souls. Awakening this force empowers us to approach life holistically, with selflessness, mindfulness, and clarity, enabling us to confront any situation with strength and consistency.

Spiritual power operates beyond our cognitive limitations, manifesting as intuitive insights and eureka moments. This divine energy helps us solve seemingly incomprehensible problems with instant transparency, supporting the notion of "That art Thou." As long as we look outward for support, our power remains elusive, but turning inward allows us to realize our spiritual selves. Spiritual empowerment enhances mental clarity and leads to a profound understanding of reality.

The spirit, as described in the philosophy of Spiritualism, connects the non-dual cosmic energy of the universe with our dualistic, dual-operating minds, balancing material and spiritual perspectives. The spirit awakens the soul and settles in the mind, which science often considers the unconscious part of the mind. This awakening enables the mind to actively review, analyze, and make choices in the face of dualities like good and evil, positive and negative, and happiness and sadness.

Spiritual consciousness takes us further, guiding our ever-desiring minds from selfishness to selflessness through divine deeds. This transition leads to contentment, clarity, and constancy, allowing us to live a fulfilling and holistic life. While the human mind tends toward pessimism, greed, jealousy, egocentrism, arrogance, and manipulation, spiritual power equips us with the mental strength to be fearless, selfless, humble, and positive. It also gives us spontaneous intelligence, enabling us to craft our unique meaning and purpose. 

Despite advancements in science and many other fields, our planet's well-being remains at risk due to humanity's excessive inclination toward materialistic selfishness. Striking a proper balance between life's material and spiritual aspects is crucial for our collective harmony and the planet's health.  For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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What Are Thoughts? - 2

Knowing that you can observe, witness, and become aware of your thoughts conveys that you are beyond thoughts. They exist within the extent of your awareness, appearing as and when you feel connected with the world around you. Since you are apart from thoughts, you are that observer and watcher of your thoughts. 

Thoughts occur in three different stages; first, when you observe your mind at any moment, your thoughts are choice-less and instinctively spontaneous. Second, after the mind becomes aware, it becomes conscious; thoughts emerge in relativity with opposites to determine any sensation or idea. The third stage occurs when you become aware of your past awareness or consciousness, subtly guiding your subconscious mind through memory about its thought processes. 

We should remember that every form of energy requires a potential force to express its kinetic field. Awareness is the supreme energy force behind our thoughts, and consciousness is its kinetic field. Awareness provides that ability to perceive, manifesting in the mind before thoughts. It can be in a state of spontaneity, witnessing the inner self, or focusing on outer sensations through sensory perceptions. It synthesizes the information through a complex network of neural pathways passing information via neurons, making the mind conscious of operating through its cognitive abilities for its likes and dislikes.

It means that senses perceive, but aware energy configures the information our senses gather. Aware energy is present in all perceptions, inner and outer, but the intensity of this energy makes us different from one another. The mind determines its course of action purely from the intensity of its awareness. After that, if the mind is attentive, it is responsible for making the mind conscious of its perceptions. Since science is ignorant about the origin of thoughts, the philosophical exposition imparted in this article is from Spiritualism

Spiritualism is the subject, whereas spirituality aims to process the inner spirit (aware energy) through various methods to initiate self-awareness for acquiring higher consciousness so that we transcend and evolve inwardly and outwardly to become spiritual. Improving your inner awareness has been well formulated in Yoga, which incorporates methods of coordinating all three - mind, body, and soul as one composite unit.

Conscious or not, the mind is the most phenomenal instrument in which thoughts flow like a river. On either bank of this river, you have duality in opposites; in the center is awareness, your presence, managing the flow of water so that it does not overflow. Once out from their source, thoughts scatter, one thought being freshly replaced by another, constantly changing, randomly repeating, overlapping, and stimulating, becoming the fundamental cause of your mind's restlessness unless checked by the individual intensity of aware energy. It flows in auto-mode from its subconscious level without requiring direct consciousness. The mind without self-awareness is limited to its physically wanting self; it remains in subconscious awareness, attaching primarily to outer identification from its likes and dislikes.

Due to the impermanent nature, thoughts never remain constant. They keep dancing between emotions and desires emanating from memory for the future. They exist more in an apparent state, creating illusions rather than authentically revealing their existential moment. It happens because thoughts tend to react out of emotions compulsively rather than respond to any moment proactively. 

Immediate reality exists as it is now, limited to space and time. It can be a conscious perceptual reality, which differs from one moment to another, or an observable fact that is the same to all. Also, through consciousness, we create. Further, our reality emerges from the thoughts we entertain, focus on, and choose what we wish to believe. Then we also have the ultimate reality, as Vedic philosophy declares - all that exists in this Universe is one unitary non-dual unchanging reality in unity and continuity called Brahman (spirit) or absolute energy. Similarly, the ultimate God, truth, and love are in the absoluteness in everything, but despite being the same, they vary in every individual depending on their awareness level. 

The ego is an imaginary state of mind comprising nothing but 'I-thoughts' that bestow a definition of ownership on the individual. This ego is the core of the mind's cognitive thoughts, rigid and conditioned by memory, creating a false identity that appears to be stable but is not. It attaches to all that it holds dear. The subject of Spiritualism awakens you to understand the actual innate, fundamental, and essential nature of your reality. A spiritual person recognizes this apparent ego simply by becoming alert, aware, attentive, and conscious, constantly observing one's mind. It does not need to be analyzed through thoughts; it merely knows and becomes conscious.  

Knowingness and alert watching through observation become the essence rather than 'thinking-ness.' Pure conscious awareness through knowing is primal to thoughts but vanishes the moment desire and the memory of 'I Am' come to the fore, resulting in various impressions of 'me and mine.' When thoughts arise, they only revolve around 'I, me, and mine.' Absolute pure energy separates into extremes of dual opposites, not realizing that all that exists is formless waves of energy, and the synthesis of any form of energy occurs when any thesis unites with its antithesis.

The mind in material existence is not self-aware; it mechanically functions in auto mode and is hence termed subconscious. Due to living in the duality of opposites, physical existence submerges into sub or lower conscious relativity; in reality, all is but a 'Lila' (play) of that Absolute oneness to experience life. The mind remains ignorant of all egoistic thoughts and their respective actions unless you experience self-awareness. Neither this nor that of any dual factor, whether it is day or night, happiness or sadness, positive or negative, has any spiritual significance; these are all parts of the same absolute energy, which remains constant and indivisible, only separated by the mind into its two extremes.

Therefore, the mind primarily comprises thoughts in duality emerging out of that indivisible non-dual energy in absolute awareness. When thoughts flow, the mind gets activated. When the mind goes to sleep, thoughts recede, as does your consciousness, but awareness always remains awake. That is why if we sleep over a problem, there is a high chance we will have a solution the next day simply because awareness is forever awake. While asleep, the mind quietly returns to its realm of total awareness. The moment you get up, the mind is instantly aware of both the inner and the outer: the material and the spiritual, the personal thinking self, and the impersonal presence of individual aware energy overseeing both selves. 

You do not need to think to become aware. Our authentic nature is always present in that aware-conscious state of knowing. It originates spontaneously in choice-less thoughts before they are separated into duality by the memory and the intellect. The dual-operating cognitive mind subconsciously chooses either this or that from emotional desires.

Meditation is the reverse of thoughts; it sustains in a still mind. Conversely, thoughts depend upon memory support and require time before transferring and receiving data to and from the intellect. Therefore, thoughts revolve around past information about any subject, projecting them for the betterment of our future to achieve desirous goals. Meditative awareness in the stillness of the mind is dynamic; it compels the mind to focus on the present moment. The energy it consumes converges directly into the present rather than leaking into the past or future. In this manner, the mind can focus its energy on the now. 

In a meditative state, the mind becomes a prayer with intention, observation, and spontaneity. Thought, by nature, is meant more for the sake of experiencing material existence to identify, choose, and attach. It makes the mind analyze, select, and discriminate in self-interest. Therefore, in material life, desirous thoughts are the essence of your physical existence, and they are responsible for making the mind egoistic, restless, and forever demanding more and more for your selfish needs. When you balance the material and the spiritual, you shall relish success and peace of mind.

Three commonly followed meditation processes assist you in stabilizing the randomness of the subconscious thoughts. The first is Transcendental Meditation, which is more for therapy and relaxation. The second involves chanting with concentration to focus your mind and enhance your awareness of any subject. It arrests the monkey's mind and slows chattering. The third is meditative awareness, where your mind is focused and alert, observing an object with watchfulness from one moment to the next. In this case, the mind's 'thinking-ness' is replaced with a knowingness in spontaneous awareness. 

The third method is mindfulness or thoughtfulness. It insists upon being existential from one moment to the next. Focusing your mind on the present moment reduces unwanted chattering, permitting you to concentrate and contemplate whatever you wish to achieve. Your thoughts of the past and future decline, and the mind focuses on the present.

Why do we require stillness of mind in spirituality? Stillness or mindfulness in no way means stopping the mind from thinking; it merely aims at reducing the unnecessary chattering that the mind is accustomed to. If the mind is awake, we are aware of choice-less thinking in the present moment. This is because there is usually an overload of unnecessary selfish thoughts wishing to choose this or that, and with the result, hop, skip, and jump from the past, forget the present, and directly go into the future. 

Therefore, the moment you move your attention from the present, the mind goes from the absolute to a dual mode in relativity. It gets compromised, thoughts go on a roller-coaster ride of this, and that begins to chatter, multitasking on what it likes and dislikes. It randomly jumps from the past into the future; the mind's productivity decreases depending more on the outer world, with borrowed knowledge from here and there unquestioningly believing this and that, reducing self-creativity. 

As mentioned, energy tends to go into randomness or entropy if not controlled. This sort of disorder created by uncontrolled thoughts is the reason for all the conflicts, chaos, contempt, and comparisons leading to anxiety and despair that we see all around.

Therefore, in most cases, the brain, when physically awake, refuses to be silent. It keeps chattering in subconscious thoughts flashing between sensations and past awareness. Such meaningless thoughts that invade the mind deplete mental energy. They usually occur when your mind is unaware in lower consciousness, creating disorder and discomfort. Instead of using the mind as an instrument, the mind uses you. You lose control, disconnect from the nature of your true self, and bend towards negativity. Such thoughts erode the presence of the mind in random behavior, and it is in such wasteful moments that you need to take control of your thoughts and become conscious of who and what you spiritually are.

Spirituality aspires to balance the material with the spiritual, making the mind accept both poles with grace under enhanced awareness. It understands that the opposites are separate parts of unitary absolute energy. The experiences of worldly and spiritual aspects are both equally essential for fulfillment and completeness in life. 

If selfless love for all as one is a spiritual attribute, desire becomes the most dynamic feature associated with material life. The mind is nothing but desire in thoughts; if there is desire, the energy of self-interest will not let the mind be silent. Hence, thoughts are vital for material existence; for a spiritual mind, they are excess baggage – both have a definite meaning in life. However, meditative awareness under alert observation to enrich inner consciousness towards selflessness is how to be spiritual, which is desperately lacking to alter the mind from its constant desires towards selfless love.

Excerpts taken from the book – 'God and Beyond' by Gian Kumar.

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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What Are Thoughts?  - 1

Scientifically, when packets of light energy called photons stimulate the retina of the eyes, a chain of events takes place. Billions of neurons carrying electric signals pass on information from one to another, which the mind later represents through thoughts. When the mind responds to any stimulus, such as images from our optic nerve or sounds from our auditory nerves, it establishes a perception we experience as thought. It is unknown from where all the information originates and how the mind experiences it. It is deeply philosophical, has all the answers, and is not related to any coding from computer science, which you are about to read and decide for yourself.

There is no general agreement or fixed opinion on what a thought is or how it is created. Thought is a mental process that allows us to comprehend the world according to our emotional desires. They emerge after any information arises spontaneously from a straightforward, absolute source of aware energy, forming ideas, images, opinions, and beliefs. Originating from an ocean of awareness in and around our environment, thoughts arise like bubbles, independent of each other. 

Philosophically, when the mind is alert, you become aware; if you are attentive, you become conscious. If you are not, the mind goes into auto-mode and subconsciously passes on information via thoughts. Many articles and books expound on thoughts, yet the mystery makes it even more enjoyable. This is especially true in our case because of the supremacy of thoughts in the world of materialism and their subservience in the realm of spirituality.

A thought may be independent, bizarre, exclusive, or inclusive of external influence. Thought is energy expressed by language, a mental activity formed in words, images, notions, and feelings of past and future. It represents, interprets, and subconsciously navigates your body and mind into separatism or the oneness you belong to. In short, thoughts represent and expand your observable, existential, and experiential relationships with the inner and outer worlds through your uniqueness in consciousness. 

How you uniquely think via consciousness determines the quality of your mind. The sensory organs perceive and transfer the information to the brain, ideas develop, and you feel, and only after that do you begin to think to infer, deriving information from past knowledge projecting into the future. When combined with action, thoughts create that material realm for your thinking identity, which spans from probability to actuality, interpreting physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experiences. 

From your thoughts, you perceive, conceive, and conceptualize consciousness, soul, God, or, for that matter, the personal world and the Universe. The mind first creates all conceptual thoughts before becoming beliefs and faith in one's reality. The culmination of your overall thoughts constructs an identity of its own, which we call an ego. It provides a sense of physical identity and a thinking mind comprising subconsciousness. 

The exciting part is that the mind needs to feel first before it can start to think; only after feeling can the mind react from memory and intellect to begin its thinking. Feeling here indicates being aware, conscious, or having a sensation. Secondly, you are not the thinker because the thinking self is a process of the mind, which has been provided with a name and is conscious only when awake. However, even during sleep, the other parts of you exist; thinking stops, but the hair keeps growing, the heart continues to beat, breathing continues, and so forth. It is that actual self of who you are, the spirit, which can check and guide your body and mind and is beyond all physicality, whereas thoughts pertain only to past/future knowledge.

A thought is one finite form of energy, limited to time, space, and cause, allowing us to experience, express, relate to, and establish all objects Mother Nature provides. However, there is also a 'sovereign' energy by which you can observe your thoughts. You will never say 'I am thoughts' - the observer 'I' always differs from your thoughts. Therefore, humans have this unique ability to observe and become aware of our thoughts. Since the duration of observation is before any thinking, observation occurs spontaneously with thoughtless thoughts. So, we are a composite unit of body, mind, and soul superimposed on a broad substratum of spiritual being-ness. 

Thinking depends entirely on the past and future, and the process involves relative thinking in opposites of this and that to determine anything. Only after you relate heat to cold can you decide on its actual feel. This means that while thinking, it is necessary to separate the absoluteness of any energy into two to determine its outcome. Life is the totality of your sum experiences living in duality, which exhibits the individual nature of 'what' you are through your relative thoughts. 

I reiterate that while observing through the presence of your aware energy, you are in a state of thoughtless thoughts, absolute, spontaneous, choiceless, and non-separated by any relative thinking. Spiritualism considers this initial stage, the presence of this observing state of your mind, to be at par with the absolute supreme ability of energy of 'who you are – That Art Thou,' referring to that state as the individual soul or 'The Witnessing Self.' This aware energy is before thoughts and beyond cognition. The rest is all a web of cause and effect, bound by time and space. Existence, in turn, is a play of life with its series of experiences, represented by thoughts, which we consider as consciousness comprising of the superconscious via the soul and conscious, subconscious thoughts via the mind.

At any moment, while the observation process is taking shape, the observer observing what is observed is one. Thoughts of awareness arising during this moment, if any, are pure, choice-less, and without any discrimination, revealing the union between the subject and its object in absolute observation. During this moment, there is no separation of energy by the mind into its duality; it is simply the primordial aware energy (subject) observing through the mind the inner or outer (object), all three connected as one. Intuitiveness, instinctiveness, and intelligence in personal creativity are the best examples of the mind's perfect and flawless assimilation. 

Therefore, during the observation process, only this being-ness is present in a state of observing. There is no presence of any individual being there, only waves of aware energy, which we can refer to as the Universal Self. There is no thinking; the mind is instantaneously in the present moment and still. 

This awareness extends and, if the mind is attentive or focused, makes the mind conscious to think in clarity, experience, choose, and infer. The process of life during this stage, from 'being' to 'becoming,' is initiated, where the mind separates this absolute energy into dual opposites to think, discriminate, and decide via the intellect to become what you are through an individual level of consciousness. 

The mind initiates its functioning based on what it feels and believes. Using thoughts, you choose between two dual factors, expand on this through the intellect, understand through intelligence, and act to experience what you desire. Even though thoughts are based upon past knowledge, your desires are embedded in the future, which is a manifestation of thoughts. Desire is the fuel for the mind. Being is to exist, and becoming is to desire. 

Thoughts imprison your spirit in memory unless you come out of it spontaneously, alert, and aware of thoughtless or choice-less thoughts by sheer observation of your environment. Come out of that cage, savor a higher state of consciousness, and the quality of your life will improve. You need not prove to others who you are - you will effortlessly evolve. This will reveal how alert, observant, aware, conscious, and awake you are. Let us go further and understand how this can be made possible. 

Thoughts are an automatic consequence of transmission from different sections of our mind. They react either emotionally by subconscious desires purely in self-interest or influenced by the degree of consciousness experientially. In the subconscious state, thoughts depend on memory, past knowledge, and the time taken for their experience in the mind functioning in auto-mode. These subconscious thoughts cannot stop independently unless the mind becomes conscious. Hence, they chatter recklessly, randomly, and repeatedly, projecting into the future based on past information. Fear is a shining example; it is only a movement of thought expressed in words, which relate to past experiences, making you anxious about the future.

However, spiritually, you can stay ahead of thoughts by watching and witnessing your mind. Witnessing or observing your thinking self is the ultimate way to enhance your consciousness. I repeat, the observer (the individual) at any given moment of observation (witness-er) observing (through the mind) any sensation, idea, or image (object) remains one. You spontaneously experience that object rather than analyzing and judging through personal thoughts of the past or future. 

In this case, action from your mind is occurring in the now through the presence of sheer awareness in any present moment. Your mind becomes dynamic and still, undistracted by thoughts, and is not wasting any time or energy brooding on the past or future.  It becomes mindful of that existential now, moving from one moment to the next, irrespective of the passage of time. This spontaneous activity by the mind is more spiritual and less material. 

Material thoughts, on the other hand, arise and revolve around an aura of physical identity. They reinforce the 'I-thought' of 'me and mine' and succeed by inducing a deep separation between you and your environment. Whether you consider yourself spiritual or worldly, if you are submerged with your name and identity, you will remain an egoistic self, immersed in selfishness, living with separated selfhood from all others. A pseudo-independent identity of a 'thinking-self' will emerge and exist. In contrast, in the actual nature of our reality, we are all one, part of a complete whole in unity and continuity in absoluteness.

I repeat thoughts that move subconsciously are in lower consciousness. They emerge more out of reasoning and intellect, which are more effective for the material world. Emotions, reasoning, and logic have their respective thoughts emerging from past knowledge, which are extracted from the memory subconsciously. Therefore, the mind does not require intuitiveness or conscious awareness for most of its functioning. It is happy being in auto-mode, carrying on its job while extracting its information from the subconscious section of the mind.

This stage of lower conscious thinking carries on, and you continue to exist in relativities of happiness and sadness, positive and negative, good or bad, etc., within your 'me and mine' according to your convenience. This continues until you become aware of and conscious of that present moment and respond proactively in nonduality.

Energy simply responds in oneness, whether it is positive or negative. How the mind pro-acts or reacts to any stimuli depends on the presence of your state of awareness. Either you permit your life to be dictated by your circumstances, emotions, and unquestioning beliefs in a compulsive reactive approach, or respond proactively, fully conscious of every moment, beyond likes and dislikes, with the presence of that inner awareness of who (spirit) you are. This absolute state of the mind is beyond all polarities in duality. 

Existence is simply in its being; it is not concerned with your psychological or cognitive mind forever trying to convince you into this or that from your likes and dislikes. You must consciously explore and create your destiny by responding to every situation, alert and observant, with complete awareness from one moment to the next.

One of the fundamental characteristics of any form of energy is to flow in entropy, as is the case with thoughts. However, humans have been gifted with this power of awareness to counter and check this reckless randomness to become aware and conscious of their thoughts, which they can operate and regulate. Our high levels of the aware, conscious mind make us human. Unlike a computer or other living creatures, a human is more aware and conscious of the outside and the inner self. Therefore, the critical factor to keep in mind is the degree of mindful awareness, which is solely responsible for the movement of our combined thoughts in the past, present, and future; these need to align for the overall welfare of our being. 

Most of your thinking operates in auto-mode, subconsciously. For this reason, there is so much inner chaos and confusion in our random thought processes. Neuroscientists declare that over 98% of thoughts function from the subconscious section. The soul is that instrument that oversees your subconscious thoughts into a proper design via awareness, provided you have the will to do so, and that too by constantly witnessing your mind, which we refer to as awakening of the soul.

Therefore, conscious or subconscious, all thoughts cannot be simply taken as electrochemical neural interactions within the brain. There is also the presence of a certain intensity of aware energy that determines, through free will, the course of its direction. Since the state of consciousness differs in every individual, no one can measure the quantum of this output. Therefore, despite what the scientists say, we should not provide a common denominator or percentage of the conscious and subconscious operations within any individual mind.

Excerpts taken from the book – 'God and Beyond' by Gian Kumar

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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Unveiling the Essence of the Spirit in Spirituality

In our relentless pursuit of progress in the material realm, the mysteries of life often remain unexplored. Please note this academic article is more for earnest spiritual seekers and will require multiple readings to grasp the sum and substance. We usually use terms like Spiritualism, Spiritual, Spirit, Spirituality, and Soul as if they mean the same, yet their distinct and independent meaning and understanding still eludes many. It's crucial to understand that the essence of spiritual-ness lies not in adherence to religious rituals, self-help, unquestioning beliefs, or cultural norms. It is more about pursuing spiritual knowledge for its comprehension and experience to know who and what you are within your body and mind and how to engage your soul, celebrate life, and balance material life with spiritual awareness. 

Spiritualism is the study of the spirit connected to our life, but the question arises: what is the spirit, and how does it differ from consciousness? Further, the purpose of Spiritualism is to elaborate on the presence of the oneness of the spirit in unity and continuity in all living creatures. In contrast, the purpose of religion is more to separate one community from another, trying to prove that our god is superior to the other.

The term spirit holds various interpretations, ranging from the immaterial aspect of our existence to notions of ghosts, fairies, demons, and souls. However, at its core, the spiritual spirit embodies the absolute cosmic aware energy manifested within the superconscious section of the mind. It is responsible for uniquely making every living first aware and then conscious of all that we perceive and conceive while living in life. As a result, absolute, non-dual, spontaneous, and intuitive spiritual intelligence triggers the dualistic human mind to be aware and mindful of discovering and exploring everything we know, from the microcosm to the universe's macrocosm. 

Settled in what we call the soul, the spirit is the supreme ability of energy performing as the witness, embedded in the soul enacting as the witness-er to observe any individual mind and thoughts while introspecting, checking, and guiding, resulting in making the mind aware and conscious to facilitate its quality of life.

The study of the intricacies of the human spirit is the subject of Spiritualism, and the effort applied to engaging this subject with the methods of mantra, meditation, mindfulness, experiencing selfless service, etc., is the domain of Spirituality. Transcending the mind from the state of lower or subconsciousness into a realm of being meditatively aware and conscious from moment to moment without any space and time constraints toward higher consciousness is considered spiritual. 

Consciousness, on the other hand, is being aware of oneself and one's surroundings, a flow of individual psychic energy, making every mind unique and alive, emerging from the vast ocean of the universal spirit of awareness. The human mind flows into three sections by its degree of intensity. The first section flows in subconsciousness functioning in duality, attaching to desirous thoughts in the lower or subconscious state. Secondly, we have a higher state of the conscious side, again attaching to the mind in duality to be mindful of this or that when the mind is focused and centered. Thirdly, the pure conscious nondual state spontaneously operates and is at par with total awareness. It is that superconscious state of mind, which we call the soul. 

Please remember, your mind becomes conscious of this or that in relative opposites only after it becomes aware. Therefore, beyond the veil of individual mortality, the infinite expanse of the unified ultimate nondual immortal cosmic spirit of awareness finally endures.

In the realm of Spirituality, the impersonal spirit, enclosed in the soul functioning as the ''Witnessing Self,'' in pure consciousness contrasts with the subconscious section of the mind entrenched in duality as the ego-consciousness. Amidst the tumultuous cycle of happiness and sadness, the spirit, playing the role of the witness, acts as a beacon, checks and guides the mind amidst its random chattering recklessly into this or that, while thoughts repetitively and selfishly flow here and there in entropy.

Remember, you are not a physical entity in a body or mind but the spirit of awareness as the witness in spiritual being-ness, navigating human experiences. Our body and mind are what we are as instruments for that Witness of who we are, merely to observe but not intervene. To access that truth, we must introspect and interiorize our true self, the spiritual awareness. We are that choiceless awareness because we bear witness to everything. The Universe unfolds after we observe from our body and mind to become aware. We are the subject, as a witness, and the nature of the witness is awareness. 

The spirit within bestows awareness, triggering the mind, if alert, to become aware and, if attentive, to be conscious of what it observes and perceives, culminating in an individual level of consciousness defining your uniqueness. Awakening to this reality unveils the depth of our existence beyond the confines of body and brain, developing spiritual awareness for your mind to balance the excessive emotional desires, which predominantly entraps your soul in an illusionary world of ego-consciousness. 

The Spirit, the eternal absolute nondual aware energy known in Indic scriptures as ''Para Brahman,'' fosters the universe's transient manifestations. The supreme ability of energy, the substratum on which all other temporal forms of energy superimpose, appears to disappear back into its fold. From its dormant state of dark energy waves, it awakens upon manifestation, embracing the dualities of our lives with awareness and purpose. This dance of energy, from creation preservation to its destruction in entropy to recreate again, is well described as the Dance of Shiva and Shakti, followed similarly by the Laws of Thermodynamics in Physics.

All concepts of deity, soul, reincarnation, and creation stem from the innate desire or fear for something beyond. Yet, at its core, awareness embodies the witnessing spirit comprising nothing because it is unaware of itself. Everything, governed by cause and effect, emerges from this void, ultimately returning to its source in ''Shunyata,'' zero or, in other words - nothingness.

I reiterate the soul is that superconscious section of the mind where the Spirit resides. Every mind must awaken the soul from the mundane life of living materially and intellectually, believing this and that out of borrowed knowledge in subconscious beliefs prone to constant change. It is subconsciously submerged excessively in selfishness, striving to fulfill the never-ending emotional desires of the ego mind. Consequently, realizing spiritual enlightenment remains elusive while bound by space and time constraints unless one becomes aware of the true self beyond the body and mind after comprehending who you are as the spirit transcending the illusionary play of psychological lifestyle. 

In self-realization, the illusion of ''you'' in body and mind dissipates, leaving only the eternal universal aware energy—the true essence of the spirit. You realize the futility of ego while amassing this and that, going beyond the dual living of happiness and sadness, recognizing the significance of clarity, contentment, and constancy of living a fulfilled life in its wholesomeness with peacefulness. 

If you seriously wish to imbibe the true meaning of self-knowledge, embark on such a journey of self-discovery with self-awareness, delving into the depths of Spirituality to unveil the essence of the spirit within. Embrace the realization that beyond the temporary trappings of the material world lies the eternal truth of our existence—the Spirit -Namaste.

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com

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Unveiling the Essence of the Soul

The Soul is an immaterial aspect of the human body and brain. It is an integral part of life and the source of the highest mental activities. The Soul is almost synonymous with self, spirit, or mind. In ancient civilizations, life was the fundamental conception of the Soul.

We often hear about the trinity of body, mind, and Soul, yet the Soul's true nature remains an enigma for many. Our spiritual essence usually eludes us while overly acquainted with our physical and mental selves, engaged obsessively in material accumulations. Yoga offers a comprehensive approach to understanding these three aspects of our being, providing physical practices for the body, cognitive techniques for the mind, and "Witness Yoga" for the Soul.

The Soul is the spiritual essence of an individual, expressing awareness, identity, and the innermost self. It is the source of life and vitality, bringing life to the body and mind. Each Soul is unique and distinct. It retains a sense of superconscious identity and continuity throughout its journey. The Soul, residing in the thoughtless part of the mind, is that impartial 'witness-er' to the conscious and subconscious workings of the body and mind. It is the authentic self in pure consciousness, the non-dual choiceless awareness, from which we self-introspect to observe our subconscious thoughts multitasking, flowing recklessly and randomly into this or that under emotional desires. 

The Soul is that potential divine within, a concept we call "THAT ART THOU." On the journey of self-discovery, a spiritual seeker transcends from the lower or subconsciousness in material living and becomes self-aware of the actual self. It comprehends the Soul's intricacies away from the state of the body and mind, from the realm of the physical and mental self to the spontaneous workings of the metaphysical self.

Both philosophy and science converge in understanding that our universe is a vast sea of formless, infinite potential energy. This energy is indivisible, eternal, and constant flow in unity and continuity, which can neither be created nor destroyed. From this boundless absolute unified energy, various transient kinetic energies, from physical to nuclear, separately manifest as mass and energy, emerge and eventually return to their non-dual source. Among these energies, we find the gross energy of the human body, the subtle energy of the mind, and the non-dual core energy of the Soul, collectively constituting the composite human identity.

The Soul, the superconscious section of the human mind, is the essence of pure conscious perception and understanding. It operates spontaneously and choiceless without relying on feelings or memory, serving as the foundation for aware-conscious energy. 

The moment it interacts with the cognitive mind, the role of the Soul diminishes. It goes into entropy, attaching to what it is conscious about in the duality of either this or that, based on what it is centred and focussed on. In contrast, the conscious and subconscious sections of the mind govern perception and understanding in lower or what we call ego consciousness. Consciousness relies upon memory and intellect, giving us the gift of choosing this or that for our likes and dislikes in emotional desires. The conscious mind is alert, attentive, aware, and focused on the present moment. Alternatively, the subconscious section operates in a faster auto-mode, drawing from past knowledge going into the future.

In understanding the Soul, it is essential to comprehend the concepts of non-duality and duality. The cognitive mind operates in duality, dealing with opposites and making choices based on relative factors like hot/cold, day/night, good/evil, etc. Non-duality, on the other hand, conversely, signifies the absolute ultimate metaphysical reality from which every duality arises.

The Soul represents the core of non-dual awareness in pure consciousness in the mind. Its primary function is to impartially witness the thoughts and activities of the conscious and subconscious mind. Through impartial observation, one can awaken the Soul and transcend from the emotional play of the dualities in choiceless thoughts and actions through sheer introspection. The Soul also augments performing in spontaneity, boosting the mind with exceptional and extraordinary energy, commonly referred to as eureka – 'bingo, I've got it.' This part subtly indicates the interconnection of the Soul acting as the receiver and that telepathic transmitter to and from with the supreme ability of cosmic energy, which we discover from the subatomic particles and the stars.

While the body and mind quantify our personality, the Soul adds a uniqueness to our individuality. It is the source of fresh creative energy, leading to spontaneous intuition, instinct, and intelligence. On the other hand, the intellect relies more on past knowledge from memory and external sources for reasoning and decision-making. I repeat that the Soul's supreme ability lies in observing without judgment in spontaneity. Consciousness, the objective of the subjective Soul, eventually descends into duality while interacting with cognition. In the subconscious realm, uncontrolled thoughts eventually lead to entropy into self-destruction, a decline in quality propounded by the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

In conclusion, the journey of self-discovery encompasses the body, mind, and Soul. Because, in the grand scheme of existence, everything, from the micro to the macrocosm, is a construct of the mind shaped by perception in illusions. Ultimately, all that exists in the eternal universe is that unchanging non-dual energy temporarily interchanging in waves and particles, appearing and disappearing into the universe's dark energy as nothing. Balancing materialism with the spiritual is crucial to saving our planet Earth. If we seek, understand, and experience beyond our body and mind how to balance the material with the spiritual, nurturing our spiritual Soul becomes vital for the well-being of all individuals and our world.

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THE ULTIMATE REALITY

"The Ultimate Reality" is a concept frequently discussed in the Vedic philosophy of Hinduism, representing the most profound understanding of the nature of reality, the Self, and the knowledge of Brahman. Unlike Western philosophies, Hinduism posits that the creator and the creation are inseparable in this ultimate reality. It declares that everything we consider fundamental or real changes from moment to moment, which appears to disappear as formless, nondual waves of Brahman. Today, the concept of Brahman finds resonance in quantum mechanics as energy. It is the foundational source of all transient matter and consciousness, a reality beyond conventional existence. As the renowned Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger stated, "Essentially everything is energy – particles of energy are just appearances."

Approximately 3000 years ago, the 'Avadhuta Gita' declared, "Birth and death do not pertain to You; the Self doesn't appear in a body; rather, the body appears in the Self. I am Brahman; without qualities, how can either bondage or liberation exist for me?" This proclamation might not resonate with many individuals without sufficient background and understanding of spiritualism or the nature of the spirit. For most people, it might not seem immediately relevant to their daily lives. However, this does not diminish its practical value; it merely suggests that we do not grasp it fully – Brahman is the only existent, and the world we see is just an appearance. 

This declaration's essence revolves around exploring our true identity beyond our physical bodies and minds. The illusions of "me" and "mine," with their attachments and identities, seem to vanish. What remains eternally is the ultimate reality, the substratum upon which all transient matter and consciousness briefly manifest. One can reach a profound understanding of this through self-knowledge, awareness, and the realization that there is no individual self to discover. Instead, a Supreme Self exists, denoted with a capital 'S' encompassing consciousness embodying nondual awareness, the reason why we profess - 'Thou art That.' 

The sense of self, tied to the body and mind, including one's name and gender, is a persona (with its Greek root meaning "false"). It is a product of gross and subtle energies influenced by social class, community, culture, and more. This egoic self temporarily exists, jumbled with words and concepts in the ideas of destiny, free will, reincarnation, karma, or spiritual enlightenment. The intellect cannot grasp this ultimate through sensory experiences. Only the foundational state persists around which all other impermanent states revolve. Most spiritual practices occur within the illusion of assuming we are the body and mind, forgetting you are the spirit as the witness inside the soul(witness-er) going through human experiences.

The concept of "I" and "other" dissolves when the individual ego merges with the all-encompassing spirit (Brahman). All dualities, including life and death, inner and outer, subject and object, dissolve into nondual being-ness. Words inevitably fall short as they rely on differentiation and division to convey meaning. Beyond labels and time constraints, enlightened beings perceive that everything expresses the same undifferentiated pure consciousness.

All experiences, notions, and states are essentially unreal. What appears real is a theatrical construct created by our minds—a performance superimposed upon the substrata known as "Brahman." We are blind to this sort of reality beneath our mind-made illusions, perpetuating a version of ourselves that is constantly changing. The world we perceive is not genuine or self-contained; reality is always unchanging and permanent, like the sky. Hence, rooted in spiritual awareness, the divine within is the source of its existence as the true Self.

The ultimate reality resides within a principle that observes all phenomena. It possesses no attributes, and we often refer to the same as the absolute, the witness, or spiritual awareness. It transcends every aspect of the domain that we conceive. Explore the depths of yourself. Connect with the true essence of who you are. By doing so, you can free yourself from the attachments of desire that lead to suffering and ultimately to find liberation.

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The Symphony of Silence: Mastering the Art of Listening

Listening is an often overlooked yet profoundly impactful skill in the hustle of modern life. In today's noisy world, it seems everyone is speaking, but few are genuinely listening. What does it mean to "just listen"? It involves more than hearing words; it requires giving someone your undivided attention, free from judgment or interruption. It's about ensuring the speaker feels acknowledged and understood.

Why is listening so vital? It forms the foundation of all meaningful human connections. By listening, we affirm others' feelings and experiences, showing them their views matter and that they are not alone. Yet, listening is difficult. In a society that values more in speaking than being heard, listening demands patience and humility. It requires setting aside our agendas and egos to focus on someone else's story.

Listening is not merely an act of hearing; it's a gateway to profound self-discovery and meaningful connections. We must embark on a journey of awareness to enhance our listening abilities. Before you talk, please take a moment to ground yourself, shedding distractions like you would to a heavy coat.

Listening, in its essence, is the art of passivity. It's about forgetting oneself and allowing the speaker's words to take center stage. Authentic listening necessitates a departure from self-consciousness; only then can genuine connection blossom. The adage goes, "If speaking is silver, listening is gold." This wisdom emphasizes the value of listening thrice, thinking twice, and speaking once. Yet, mastering the art of listening is no small feat; it requires deliberate practice and dedication.

Learning to listen is a blessing, both to ourselves and to others. By paying attention to others, we open pathways for fulfillment and healing. Listening is the foundational thread in the complex communication weave, intertwining empathy and understanding into our interactions. To become adept listeners, we must engage in mindfulness. We listen with all our senses, attuned to the nuances of both language and emotion. Mindfulness deepens our understanding, whether reflecting alone or absorbing others' words.

Let us tune into the melody of listening within the symphony of conversation. By honing this invaluable skill, we enhance our journey of self-discovery and strengthen our relationships. In listening deeply and quietly, we uncover the vibrations of our true selves.

Listening involves engaging with the words, feelings, and viewpoints of others instead of just waiting to speak. It means setting aside biases, assumptions, and distractions to give full attention to the speaker. Effective listening begins with being present, focusing on the speaker's words and body language, and providing verbal cues like "Go on" or "I understand," along with maintaining eye contact and nodding to show attentiveness and respect.

Active listening enhances friendships by fostering mutual understanding and trust, leading to more fulfilling interactions with colleagues, friends, family, and strangers. Improving listening skills enables us to respond thoughtfully, communicate effectively, and adapt our communication style to meet others' needs. Asking open-ended questions encourages deeper conversations by prompting speakers to elaborate on their thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Essential practices include regularly seeking feedback on your listening skills, identifying areas for growth, and committing to ongoing improvement. Listening attentively and empathetically is a beacon of understanding and connection in a fast-paced, superficial communication landscape. Proficiency in listening enriches personal and professional lives, nurturing a more empathetic and harmonious community. Embracing listening as a lifelong skill empowers us to broaden our perspectives, challenge assumptions, and continue personal growth.

In the workplace, good listening signifies collaboration and effective leadership. Leaders who attentively listen to their team members cultivate a culture of trust, creativity, and employee engagement. Further, building relationships with customers by understanding their needs and delivering exceptional service all hinges on active listening. Lastly, please remember that the most crucial fact about deep and earnest listening is spiritual.

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The Spiritual Path

Without any doubt, we humans are the most advanced, aware, and enlightened among all living creatures. On top of all that, besides achieving tremendous technological, biological, and digital advances, we exploit and destroy nature from land and sea to air. Our phenomenal minds have enabled us to create the divine and the devil, discover from the stars to the subatomic particles, and, of course, now we have artificial intelligence as the latest buzzword. Despite all that, when we see anger, anxiety, and destruction, we wonder how we can consider ourselves to be homo-sapiens – wise when we are not. All because the mind drifts excessively toward the material side, identifying and attaching egoistically to all we can accumulate rather than balancing the mind with spiritual insight. We desperately need to align our body and mind with the third quotient, the soul, which we do not know much about what it is and how to experience. 

Let me elaborate on some spiritual features we commonly ignore and do not follow. 

The mind is an abstract concept transmitting the electro-chemical flow of energy carrying information through neurons via neural pathways, which we refer to as thoughts. It is not who we are but what we are since we always claim body and mind as ours. The mind tends to operate in dualities of opposites, primarily towards external benefits to choose for its material wants. The spiritual way to transcend this phenomenal mind is first to check and guide its wandering nature from its random and reckless behaviour, overwhelmed by constant needs, identifying and attaching to all its demands and desires. 

First, seek clarity and contentment. The clarity in all that we presume to know makes realizing our objectives and goals easier, giving our lives a boost of meaning and fulfilment. Further, contentment offers a sense of happiness and serenity with one's current situation rather than continuously aiming for more or comparing oneself to others. It is about embracing contentment in the here and now instead of constantly seeking approval from others or wanting more material benefits.

The second is social companionship; we spiritually grow higher through contact with learned and wise ones. You should associate with those insightful ones and walk with them to become clear-sighted because of the indirect psychological influence wise companions impart in making what we are at any given time. 

The third is to be in meditative awareness, existentially celebrating life from one moment to the next rather than unduly brooding over the past and overly anxious about the future in the display of your living to show more to others what you are rather than be what you indeed are.

Fourth, the mind can be your foe or friend. It is an instrument for you to use and not get used to through its ongoing demands and emotional desires. In this way, living in a higher consciousness is possible without being dominated by the subconscious section of the mind. Always be alert and aware to introspect as an impartial and uninvolved witness of how your mind operates at every given moment toward your feelings, thoughts, and actions, and not get carried away with mindless beliefs in a superstitious mindset. 

Fifth, please remember freedom from the mind prevails when love dominates hate, kindness replaces meanness, and selflessness triumphs over selfishness. Further, the mind remains uncontrollable without being able to experience its superconscious section, which we refer to as the soul. For that, we need to know and understand what the soul is, which most of us are ignorant of. It is for this reason that the mind runs on auto-mode, from its egoist thoughts, collecting, processing, and deciding from its lower or subconscious section randomly and recklessly in dual opposites, creating bouts of happiness and sadness, taking us on a roller-coaster ride in dualities to choose this or that for its likes and dislikes in a selfish manner.

Sixth, you are that spiritual being going through human experiences. A subtle and sublime connection exists between the observer observing the observed through the mind. You are that absolute aware energy (spirit) contained in the individual soul to make the mind first aware and, if attentive, conscious. You are that pure observation, which spontaneously witnesses unquestioningly without any justifications, neither identifying nor attaching to the mind's emotional desires. Spirit is the supreme universal ability of energy in the form of awareness; the soul is that individual observer representing the superconscious section of the mind containing the spirit, and the remaining cognitive section functions in duality under conscious and subconscious thoughts to feel, think, and act to appease its body and mind.

Seventh is that self-realization of knowing "That Art Thou," the divine nondual aware energy playing in the illusions of life in dualities to experience what life is all about OR, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics – creating that disorder, characterized as a quantity known as entropy, which always increases. In our case, making the mind recklessly go into disorder via thoughts that create, sustain, and destroy so that the absolute indivisible supreme energy can recreate itself from its cyclical vibrations. 

Hence, you are that universal abstraction in mind, the Absolute spirit without any personal "I, me, or mine" or the ultimate unchanging reality, which Vedic science calls "Parabrahman." Contained in a temporal body and mind with a name and gender, appear and disappear, experience dualities of life to exercise the power of choice. Hence, while your body and mind are active and alive, choose to balance the two by materially being rich and healthy and spiritually human on the other end. 

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