Journey to Enlightenment Part 02

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Nirmala Hanke
Publisher: Create Space

Page 27

The Way of Ahinsa
Fall 2005
Dear Friends, Today our meditation is on Ahinsa. Meditation is to experience peace. Peace is possible only in the presence of Ahinsa. So, Ahinsa is the need of our journey. What is Ahinsa? Ahinsa is feeling reverence for all life.
A for Awareness
“A” stands for awareness. We need to see our own Self in the mirror of consciousness. And seeing ourselves, we draw our own portrait of what we want to become and of what we really are. If we go lovingly closer to our Self and experience our Self, we will be able to experience peace with others as with our Self. We will experience our true Self. “I am sentient energy; I am the one who is animating everything. So, why do I not animate my Self and those who come in touch with me?" Then we peacefully portray our own picture in harmony with the universe. We experience that "I am animating the body, I am animating the senses, and I am animating whatsoever I touch.”
This is the journey to self-realization. Though we often resist this, this journey has to start with ourselves. But the light of self-realization can be dazzling as even daylight to a person who has been sleeping for a long time in the dark. One has to train one's eyes to be ready to take the light of such realization, and we do that with meditation and increased awareness.
As we become aware of our loving sentient energy, we go deeper and deeper to experience that “I am here to know my ‘I’-ness.” When it dawns, we realize our oneness with all life. This is Ahinsa.
H for Harmony
Then “H” comes for harmony. “I will be a harmonious presence on this earth and will cause no harm." This is respect for all life. That can happen with Reverence for Life.
Vibrations of violence beget violence. If we focus on violence, then violence will be our habit. But if every day we think, “I am going to experience the presence of peace," we start feeling peace. Gradually we engulf ourselves with
26 - Journey to Enlightenment - Volume Two