THE SIXTH SENSE
The universe is nothing but vibration, and vibration in a congealed form is perceptible by the gross senses. The gross senses have a great link to the ten percent of the conscious mind, but if we go beyond the gross senses to the finer senses within oneself – which some call the sixth sense – then we will have contact with far more profound layers of the mind.
Meditating and exploring more profound layers of the mind can enhance all our physical senses. They are strengthened and used as instruments to activate the sixth sense. Activating the sixth sense helps a person perceive things in greater depth, have greater awareness, and enter the realms of knowingness.
The conscious mind is an analytical mind. It is a rationalistic mind, and its rationalizations reach only a certain level because it does not have the full range. Ninety percent of the mind is dormant, so naturally, it does not have the full range and the full power. It is like having a six-cylinder motor car, but you are only operating on two cylinders. The car does not have that Force.
MAN KNOW THYSELF
Through our individually prescribed practices—and there are hundreds of kinds of practices individually prescribed to people—we are actively awakening the subtler levels of ourselves. In this awakening, we go deeper and deeper within ourselves. The purpose of doing this, the purpose of achieving a heightened sense of awareness or a more profound perception, is that we can start to know ourselves honestly.
As every scripture says, man’s first duty is to “know thyself,” and that is what we are trying to do—we are trying to know ourselves, to know the reality within ourselves.
Every man has three aspects: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. All problems in life begin because these three aspects do not function in harmony.
Man undergoes all kinds of problems and troubles because of the disharmony between the three aspects of himself. They could be emotional, they could be physical, they could be psychological, or they could be psychosomatic.
Meditation and spiritual practices not only develop this deep awareness, this greater awareness, and this deeper perception, but they also bring about harmony within ourselves—a harmony between the three aspects of man.
HARMONY WITHIN
When that harmony is created within oneself, then what the mind has gained is transferred to the Heart; the other way around, what the Heart gains is transferred to the mind. In the modern world, we find that people are more intellectually orientated, and the world is very steadily progressing to a stage where people are becoming intellectual morons. That is because of the misuse of the various inventions that the mind has been capable of, and when man is developing finer levels of intellect, more and more inventions will come about. More and more discoveries into subtler matters will come about and be used. Up to now, it has mainly been used destructively, but of course, some have been used well, too.
If the development of finer levels of the intellect is combined with the expansion of the Heart, if the expansion of the mind is combined with spiritual unfoldment, this combination of the opening of the Heart and the expansion of the mind could bring about a far more balanced personality.
When the Heart opens, and the mind gains greater awareness, the mind will not use the powers gained incorrectly because it will be guided by the opened Heart, which is Love.
HOW TO EXPRESS LOVE AND HOW TO LIVE LOVE
The purpose of all religions is to teach man how to love, not only how to love but also how to express Love and live Love. If that Force permeates through all our thinking, then our thinking could never be wrong, and it could never be used destructively.
The knowingness comes when man gains greater harmony within himself, between his body, mind and Spirit.
FACE OURSELVES
In the process of meditation, which gradually becomes deeper and deeper, one comes to a level of the subtler section of the mind where one can hear the subtle sounds that are permeating the universe or have all kinds of flashy experiences.
These experiences are not necessary. A person can reach a state of knowingness without having any experiences because all these experiences that are translatable by the mind necessarily belong to the relative level, and the range of relativity is as vast as the entire universe.
To some people, the experiences in meditation could be little pointers or milestones that could act as an encouragement. But it is not entirely necessary to go through the experiences of hearing any sounds or having fantastic visions or things like that. They are not required.
The most important thing to achieve in meditation is to see how it benefits our daily lives. One hour of meditation should improve the twenty-three hours of the day.
Meditation aims not to sit down and have all these fantastic visions and flashes. While they are good and encouraging, they are not a necessary must, and neither are they criteria for a person’s spiritual development.
The most significant criteria in meditation are to see how we can face ourselves squarely in the mirror, overcome these problems, and how much smoother our life has become. That is the purpose of meditation.
… Gururaj Ananda Yogi: Satsang US 1977 – 37
