Ten Days Journey Into The Self

Author(s): Chitrabhanu
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre

Page 30

Chapter Nine. - Meditation On Energy
Friends. Today we will concentrate on energy. We do not possess energy, we are energy. The Atman, the soul is energy--living conscious energy. Matter also is energy, but it is energy without consciousness of life.
In meditation we must realize, "I am spirit and light of conscious energy--with me, around me, and in me." In this time of special peace, in meditation, we can become aware of being this energy which is infinite and immortal. Then we feel vitality and know this is our true nature, that this energy is for creation.
What differentiates man from other living beings are the qualities of our loving and our knowing. The earth is blessed with energy in many forms. Energy is in the rocks, in water, in air, in fire, in minerals, in the mud. Energy is in trees, grasses, flowers. Energy is in all the beasts and birds, in the fish of the sea and the insects of the air. All these forms of energy are interdependent. Human life is enhanced when our own energy is guided by love and intelligence, and degraded when our energy is guided by negative emotions, personal greed, and ignorance. Love and intelligence guiding our energy make us part of on-going evolution.
Man's energy, the energy of spirit, can have dominance over other forms of energy. Think of the energy of Einstein that could penetrate the atom, and led to awareness of the chain reaction of the nuclear explosion. This gave man power. This energy is energy: With awareness it becomes a blessing; without awareness it may turn human life into a heap of ashes. The unknown summons our energies whether to cross seas, or travel to the moon. Violence and injustice challenge us to bring new energy to help create a peaceful, united brotherhood of man.
In a sense, however, mankind is already a brother-hood. Invisibly we are all related to every soul in the world, and yet every soul is a stranger. This is the paradox! We are all related and yet we are alone. We meditate to understand this paradox and to find what we can be in relation to the world. This way we find ourselves. We find the blessing the world needs from us, and thus we are blessed.
Love is the greatest energy of the cosmos, the energy that makes all that could be unfold, the cosmogenic energy. This human energy is expressed in thoughts, emotions, words, action. Man is born with the capacity to react with a variety of emotions, and sometimes his early childhood experiences largely determine which will become predominant. If he is treated with respect he will respect himself and others. If his initiative is approved he will retain initiative. If he is allowed to think for himself, he will be original. The child is the future, but the parent can have a powerful influence on the child's future. Whether love and intelligence will guide our energy depends much on the love and intelligence shown us as children. However, with awareness and meditation, we learn to forgive ignorance in our parents and go beyond the limits of our childhood. This shows the strength of love.