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REALIZE WHAT YOU ARE:
"Now I am not going to tell you anything more,' my father continued. 'I am not going to tell you what job you should do or how you should live your life. Keep this magnifying glass with you as a teacher, and go in life and work in any field. But remember to concentrate on whatever you do.'
"This glass I am still carrying with me and the Nobel Prize which I received is the result of this lesson in concentration."
In that way C. Raman ended his short address to the most highly educated people of the nation. This is a beautiful parable for our growth. Each of you wants to have some kind of growth, some achievement, some mission. Meditation helps you first to find and see your mission and then to fulfill it. It helps you by focusing the energy which is now being used in many different directions.
Without a mission, life has no meaning. It is only eating, drinking, sleeping and surviving; an animal can do these things. The purpose of meditation according to saints and seers is to perfect human life, to open us to the higher levels of consciousness. Then the question comes, "What is the meaning of this term, 'higher levels of consciousness,' and how many kinds of consciousness are there?"
Wherever you see the movement of feeling, there is consciousness. Even in an ant or a leaf, there is consciousness. If you add water or pour acid on the plant, it will respond according to what is received. If you try to catch an ant with a piece of paper, immediately it will change its direction and try to get away. A fly will also