Greetings to all!  Namaste!

The way the mind works is by processing a conglomeration of knowledge and from that, trying to distil what to think, say and do. Understanding in the context of our quote has to do with the ability to grasp a concept.

Knowledge is the stage in our development where we are exposed to new ideas. This is a subset of understanding. Understanding only happens when we can make sense of the idea and have clarity about how it would work in practice. This is still not the next stage, realization, where we have successfully put it into practice. Realization or wisdom only comes when we bring the knowledge down through our body and ‘earth’ it by living it, a process to do with realization.

We can learn a concept such as: our relationships are a mirror of our soul’s development. This is a radical idea to many Western people, even though it is totally normal for someone raised a Hindu. Having learned that our relationships are a mirror of our soul the next phase is to understand what that means. It means that no interaction, no emotion that is engendered by an interaction, no event at all can take place unless there is a corresponding energetic pattern inside of ourselves. Hence with this knowledge we can truly say: we are the creators of our own reality.

Many people choose not to believe this, or find it impossible to grasp. That is fine. They are not yet ready for this understanding. This is none of our business. That person is just as much a child of God and just as loveable as someone who is realized and liberated on this parameter of human evolution. They will just have a harder life, with more conflict and less hope of sorting it out in a permanent and peaceful way. That just is, neither good nor bad. It is. We ought not try to convince that person that they create their own reality. A response such as “well how did you create that? would be entirely inappropriate if addressed to such a person, and would show lack of realization and liberation in the speaker. The concept that we create our own reality is meant to be used as a tool for understanding, not a sword to pierce the reality of another person and upset them, judge them or blame them. “How did you create that?” is not a question that ought ever arise in an interpersonal dispute, even when both people know and understand the concept. To bring this up when there is conflict would be inflammatory and show a lack of compassion. It is better to empathise, send love and apologize.

A spiritual aspirant who comes to their teacher for understanding of their life is in a different situation. It is reasonable for the teacher to assume that the student would actually like to learn, or they would not have come for instruction. However even in this situation, it is not necessarily wise to raise ‘we create our own reality’ unless the person is a stable, high initiate. Generally even then, it is better to find other means of support and only talk about how did he/she create it after the difficulty is passed and there is time for calm reflection.

Personally, I always want to know how I created it because I love the process of realization, even when it hurts. Even when I realize some of my own growing edges that might be a bit tatty in the process. I want to know. I might be scared,  I might be trying really hard in part of my being to run backwards, but a part of me will not give up and will insist that I learn. That is tenacity. At times I feel that I am banging my head against a brick wall. At times I fail to accomplish goals that I have set for myself. This contributes to humility: to me only a fool would regard himself or herself as beyond any form of growth and learning. No matter what level of initiation one has mastered, the challenges keep pace. They are bigger for high initiates. The universe is infinitely creative and able to present us with new challenges endlessly. This spurs us to deeper understanding of concepts and onto the next stage which is realization. Understanding does not come in a ‘heaving rush’ but incrementally, through evolution, as one identifies new and different challenges.

Next week we will discuss realization.