Consciousness, Awareness and Stillness

Still your inner vision
and fix your attention on the door of the inner eye
that opens to the path leading within.
Break through the inner barrier …
liquidate your karmas and soar to higher regions.
Radha Soami says this for you to hear, friend,
so that you can tread this path with understanding.
_{Sar Bachan Poetry}

To realize the transcendent reality beyond the physical realm, Soami Ji Maharaj encourages us to quieten the mental dialogue inside our heads, and focus instead on the “door of the inner eye.” Also known as the third eye or eye centre, this door is the seat of the soul and the gateway to a higher level of consciousness. Trying to physically locate the eye centre either by inverting our eyes or searching for a specific point in the darkness is counterproductive. As noted in the book Living Meditation, “If we are thinking of the eye centre, it means we cannot be in it. If we are in the centre, we will not be thinking of it.” Likewise, Maharaj Charan Singh said that all we need to do to uncover the “pivotal point that holds the mystery of life” is close our eyes and focus inward. In Die to Live, he added:

When you close your eyes, you are there where you should be. Being there, do simran, concentrate. When you close your eyes, you are nowhere outside.

The last part of Maharaj Charan Singh’s explanation, where he says “unless your mind is scattered somewhere outside,” is noteworthy because it highlights the difference between being consciously aware of being at the eye centre and merely closing our eyes. The book, The Untethered Soul, explains the key to understanding the distinction:

The essence of consciousness is awareness, and awareness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else.

The essence of consciousness is awareness, for without consciousness, there is no awareness. Moreover, in the same way that we can use a flashlight to shine light in a single corner of the room, our consciousness can select where to direct its focus. The downside is that currently, it is engrossed in our thoughts, emotions and sensory inputs to such an extent that we have come to identify with these experiences, losing all awareness of our real self – our soul. It’s like becoming so captivated by the object we’re illuminating that we forget we’re the one holding the flashlight, or being so immersed in a book, we lose track of our surroundings and forget we’re the one reading.

The aim of meditation is to shift the focus of our consciousness away from the body’s nine sensory portals and collect it at the eye centre. As we become adept at this and disassociate from our mental, emotional and physical experiences, we become aware of our real nature: Shabd. The key to this spiritual awakening lies in making our mind motionless. All mystics emphasize that spiritual progress is wholly dependent on stilling the mind. Maharaj Sawan Singh explains:

The secret of success lies in making the mind motionless. The treasure that you are seeking will be yours when the mind is motionless.… The extent to which you render it motionless, you are nearer to the treasure – Nam.
_{Spiritual Gems}

Making the mind motionless is of utmost importance, as our thoughts obstruct our ability to focus. Only by calming the whirlwind of our thoughts will our focus naturally rise to the eye centre. The importance of making a concerted effort to concentrate is aptly illustrated in the following parable.

One day, a Zen master wanted to demonstrate a new archery technique to his students. He asked them to blindfold him, and then he released his arrow. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the target was untouched, and his students looked embarrassed at their teacher’s failure. The Zen master inquired, “What lesson do you believe I wanted to impart today?” They replied, “We thought you would teach us to aim without looking.” The Zen master explained, “No, I aimed to show you that you must always focus on the target to succeed. If you lose sight of it, you risk missing your goal.” The students exchanged impressed glances, reflecting on the valuable lesson.

He continued, “In life, like in archery, always be mindful about your goals. No matter how skilled you are, losing sight of your objective can lead to failure.”

The students nodded, now understanding the deeper meaning behind the master’s lesson. By deliberately missing the target, their master taught them that success is unlikely without focusing on one’s objective. By shooting blindfolded, he demonstrated that even the most skilled can falter without such focus.

While stilling the mind is a crucial step in realizing our true self, it is not the only one. Achieving physical stillness during meditation is just as vital as quieting the mind. In Living Meditation, the author cites an example used by the masters to highlight the importance of being still during meditation. He explains that if we pick up a glass of water and place it back on the table, the water continues moving even though the glass is still. This is referred to as ‘the ripple effect’. Similarly, even slight movements during meditation create ripples in the mind, disrupting any calmness achieved. However, by focusing on simran and remaining still, we come to realize that stilling the body helps calm the mind and vice versa. When both body and mind are at rest, we enjoy the peace arising from concentrated meditation.

Since meditation is an activity that involves both our mind and body, we are told to adopt a comfortable posture because, as advised in the book Living Meditation, “In no other position is the link between mind and body as clear as it is in our meditation posture.” To quiet the mind, the body must be still. While we are free to adopt any posture that prevents frequent shifts in position, sitting with an upright and straight back is crucial to boost concentration. Slouching not only strains the back but also leads to mental lethargy. For instance, when we feel lazy or depressed, we tend to hunch over. Sitting upright can counter these feelings, making it hard to indulge in self-pity. An upright posture fosters alertness and focus, enhancing the effectiveness and enjoyment of meditation.

Being still is the starting point of God-realization. Initially, it may seem like something we can do easily. However, we quickly learn that being still requires practice. This is because our mind and body are in constant motion from the moment we are born. We live in a culture that has taught us to be comfortable with crowds and noise and uneasy with solitude and silence. On the rare occasions we find a spare moment to sit quietly, our addiction to thinking is such that we feel we should be doing something, or we’re unable to stop ruminating over mundane and inconsequential matters. In the words of the 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Our mind is quick to react to discomfort, leading to restlessness. Both mind and body resist being controlled, but perseverance is vital as, with time, they will eventually yield. When this happens, we will connect with the Shabd, the eternal divine power that runs the universe and beyond. Connecting to the Shabd will eradicate our karmas and our consciousness will “soar to higher regions.” This is Soami Ji Maharaj’s promise and that of all true mystics.