A world of distraction
Question
We live in a materialistic world,a world sunk in its foolish valuing systems, luxurious brands, brainwashing media, and hedonistic perception of life.This world is populated and controlled by pleasure seeking people,who each of them could be like a distraction or a resemblance of humans deep animalistic traits to a person practicing brahmacharya.
After several months of celibacy and trials of belief and disbelief within myself,moments of huge REALITY,........,my problem is to keep that ultimate level of concentration on God and divinity,that high level of consciousness, and also meditation in crowded places,like class or bus or party or...., and i also feel some kind of negative energy,a radiation of ignorance around some people which truly distracts me.I really find it hard sometimes to have that spirit whilst doing a materialistic job( as a medical student) or reading or accompanying or even images of these distract me while i meditate at my niche.
Whats going on?what should be done?
Thanks
Answer
It is one's own ignorance embedded deep within one's Karana sharira (causal body), the repository of all impressions and tendencies accrued from past karma dating to millions of births in the human and animal form that results in our present state - physical, mental and spiritual. The actual soul in reality is always untouched by this ignorance surrounding it just as a piece of gold is unpolluted by the layers of muck surrounding it and turns out to possess the same luster and shine when cleansed of dirt. A life of Brahmacharya and Yoga are the means through which one endeavors to cleanse the layers of ignorance surrounding the soul, following which the Jivatma (embodied and degenerated soul) realizes itself to be a part of the Supreme Almighty through self-realization and attains to infinite knowledge, existence and bliss.
When a spiritual aspirant comes in contact with worldly minded people engrossed in the senses, the layers of ignorance present within his own system start to resonate and sync with the vibrations of ignorance emanating from such people. This tends his mind and ego to go ahead and participate in the sense based activity. But the spiritual knowledge and discipline that have been ingrained into his intellect through a righteous life fire up his Buddhi shakthi (power of intellect) and the intellect reminds the mind and ego of the filthy and unreal nature of the pleasure accrued from a life of senses. So this is akin to a tug of war. On one side, the mind and ego goad him towards the senses, fueled by their past impressions in such indulgence. On the other hand, his Buddhi shakthi (power of intellect) that has now gained knowledge of what is right and wrong through a life of spirituality reminds him constantly that all sense indulgence is impermanent, unreal and a waste of time leading to suffering. In a beginner Brahmachari, the tendencies of the mind and ego are stronger in comparison to the power of the intellect. So the mind and ego win the tug of war and the aspirant succumbs to sense temptation leading to a break. As one progresses in Brahmacharya and thus spirituality in the real sense, the power of the intellect starts getting stronger and more firm leading to stronger will power, discrimination and determination. One starts acquiring the ability to stay clear of senses to a larger extent than before, for the mind and ego have been brought under the control of the intellect and not the reverse as before. This makes it more possible to hold the mind-ego under control.
So when we feel vulnerable and susceptible to negative, sensual vibrations emanating from a crowd at a gathering, it is our mind-ego combination that is starting to give way. It has started to resonate with the sensuality. This is making it weak and vulnerable.
At the next moment, when we start to feel loathing, disgust and repulsion towards such a scenario, it is our intellect reminding us of the danger and filth in such a situation, warning us to stay clear and move out.
The aim of the Brahmachari is to wash out all these past impressions and tendencies stored in his Karana Sharira (causal body) that are making him resonate to such a worldly situation and reach that supreme state where he is unaffected. Once he succeeds in reaching this state, he is constantly in the sea of reality and untouched, unaffected by the presence or absence of sensuality. He neither loves nor hates the sensual aspect of the world further to the realization that all of it is unreal and a dream. He raises above the duality of love-hate and pain-pleasure and rests in the one reality of the Supreme.
The contradictory feelings for and against worldliness that the aspirant experiences is what constitutes the battle of life. This is the Leela (divine play) constituted by God himself to make the Jivatma (embodied soul) realize the falsity of the world and gain knowledge of the Supreme. These are the tests and examinations the embodied soul has to face, fight and finally win if it has to reach that unalloyed state of knowledge and bliss accrued from self-realization.
The only way to pass these examinations is by constant perseverance and effort in staying fixed to the reality of one's default state of Godliness through reminding oneself of the unreality surrounding worldliness. One needs to constantly stay fixed to Brahmacharya in spirit and keep the mind occupied with spiritual pursuits supported by prayer and God-meditation in the background. As one progresses in reducing the ignorance surrounding one's own soul, the impact of such worldly situations reduces in magnitude and finally disappears upon self-realization.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)