The Universe Within

 

Photo Credit: Universe Inside you on Twitter

The Universe Within

A friend of mine had got a small growth on his finger that looked like a bump. My friend was disturbed by it and went to visit a doctor, not satisfied with that doctor’s opinion, he went on a doctor consultation spree. With every opinion he got from the various doctors the more confused he became. Then he made the ultimate cardinal sin – he started googling for a solution. His mind was now completely addled – totally befuddled and fogged up. Thoughts started playing havoc – what have I got – cancer, arthritis, spondylosis etc. His mind started making life threatening noises and an extremely intelligent and smart individual started falling a prey to his addled brain. He had just invited into his mind and consciousness all kinds of life-threatening noise! He went to the extent of writing his own Will! His work suffered and he started moving around like a zombie – the walking dead!

Meditation as a solution to quieten the mind was suggested and he agreed to give it a shot. After a couple of months, he said that meditation really helped and the narrator inside his mind quietened down – the narrator who was scaring me with all kinds of illnesses piped down and his chatter stopped. There is a wonderful saying in the Bhagvad Gita – Whenever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the self. Abiding joy comes to those who still the mind.

Our mind is a quicksand of urges, desires, fears and judgments that pulls in it. To stop ourselves from sinking and going under in the quicksand we need to quieten the mind. The mind keeps vacillating between the past and the future and is rarely in the here and now – rarely in the present moment.

Our inner universe is also the place where we can come to gain insight about ourself and how we operate in the world, uncover our true feelings, meet our shadow self, connect with our inner child. It is the place where we can learn to forgive ourself and others. Where we can learn to let go of the past and choose to grow into our new self. The more awareness we have about who we are, why we behave in the way we do, what motivates us, what inspires us, the more control we will have over how we shape our life going forward. And ultimately, the more we connect with our Higher Self and merge with the oneness and love of our own Divinity, we will surrender to our True Self, and peace will be known.

Meditation has taught me to let go and let life happen. It has helped me to cut the inner chatter, quieten the mind and choose the subject with which to occupy my mind when required, otherwise it is mostly still. When this happens, the inner universe is filled with the sound of silence, peace, contentment and untold bliss.