The forms we experience in the world appear according to how we see them. The pillow on the couch appears to the house decorator as an accessory, the sleepy person as a headrest, the dog as a play toy, and to the moth as food.
Everything – as well as everyone who appears in our lives, in our world – is coming from inside of us. We see what we see according to the condition of our own minds. We mistakenly think that the world is “out there” coming “at us.” The truth is just the opposite; it is only “out there” because it is reflecting the contents of our own minds. Our previous actions have determined the condition of our minds. We create the world we find ourselves in from our own previous actions.
The content of our own minds has a direct effect on the harmony or disharmony we find in the world around us. The famous quote of Gandhi’s, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” gives us very practical advice on how to create the world we want to live in, as well as how we wish to be seen in that world.
To really embrace this yogic teaching is quite radical, as it goes to the root of most of the problems we have with other people. To see the situation with this degree of connection and responsibility does not allow one to blame others for our unhappiness or disharmony. Blaming is an activity indulged by many of us to such a degree that it could be considered a national pastime.
The world, meaning all that can be seen or sensed, arises from sound. The world is sound. Karma means action. Actions are vibrations; they are sounds. Whatever we think, whatever we say, whatever we do, will manifest at some point in time due to karmic seeds we have sowed into the atmospheric ground of our being. This is the secret of creation. This is the practical methodology underlying the practice of mantra or chanting the names of God. The sound will create the form, eventually but inevitably. This is how the devotee is able to see the Divine. The form grows out of the vibrational frequency of the practitioner’s mind.
Whatever we want in our lives we can have, if we are willing to provide it for someone else. But we cannot be in a hurry for results. Seeds take time to sprout, grow and bear fruit. If it weren’t so, then we could simply decide to be happy and we would be happy. You know, “instant karma.” But it doesn’t work like that. If it did, anyone who took a bite of a hamburger would instantly fall over dead! There’s a lag time from the moment a seed is planted to its full bloom.
Of course we must also remember that seeds need fertile ground, sunlight and water to grow. Deprived of the right conditions, the seed could dry up, be destroyed, and never sprout. By applying the special wisdom of yoga to the planting of karmic seeds, we can cultivate fertile ground and optimum conditions for sprouting the seeds for a harmonious sound garden.
Carry a sweet song in your heart and on your lips. Be kind to everyone and joyfully look to the happiness of others. This is rich fertilizer for the cultivation of the garden of truth and beauty, the realm of our own beloved Self.
Prem is a Sanskrit word that means Love, the unconditional love of the Divine where the interrelatedness of all creation resounds in a profound symphony of joy. With sound remembrance of this great love all is possible.
