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My Dear Ones,
The human experience
is a journey of uncovering the greatness that lies within us. It is a journey
to a place within where limitations of body and mind cease to hold us in bondage.
In this place we feel free and in our true seat of power. To make this journey
a certain level of awareness and intelligence is required. The first step on this
journey is to understand that we are on a journey. We, then, need to have a clear
understanding of the destination, a strong desire to achieve it, a good plan of
how to do so and the ability to recognize and deal with distractions that we may
face on the way. This is certainly no easy task but it is not impossible because
we have been blessed with the most perfect tool we can ask for on this journey-
the intellect.
Apart from the intellect we have other important tools
on this journey that we need to identify. We have the power to think and imagine.
Thoughts and images we create in the mind influence our state of well being and
our relationship with the world. We also have the power to create feelings which
give greater strength to our thoughts and images. We have a memory that can store
all our thoughts, ideas and experiences for future recall. What is great about
the intellect is that it gives us the ability to use these other tools positively
and effectively. It is our primary tool of intelligence. With the intellect we
can reason and discriminate. We can decide on our goals, plan strategies to achieve
them and effectively deal with challenges when they arise. We can learn how to
use emotions effectively and appropriately. This tool is extremely important to
us and so we need to learn how to develop its power and use it to our best advantage.
The intellect is a tool of inquiry. We can use it to ask questions and
probe into the nature of things. We can explore our world, its purpose and our
relationship with it. We can inquire into the nature of our own existence and
the ways in which we can realize our full potential. I do believe that when we
inquire with sincerity, passion and respect, the Universe opens up its doors of
wisdom allowing us to experience its truth. This has been my experience. The more
I probed into the nature of life with intensity and persistence the more the Truth
opened its doors to me. If I had the slightest doubt in me about the truth of
anything I never accepted it. I needed to have full clarity and first hand experience
of what I was seeking before accepting. I needed to get to a place where there
was no more doubt but the inner feeling of full assurance that I was experiencing
what I was seeking and there were no more doors to be opened. I needed to have
the full direct experience of the subject. The intellect with its probing intelligence
can lead us there if we learn to use it well. The intellect must be sharp but,
also, it must know its limits.
When it comes to the truth of life, the
intellect can lead us to its doors, give us a good understanding of what truth
is not but cannot give us the experience of what lies at the core our being. The
intellect is a very powerful tool when working in the field of the known and measurable
but in the field of the unknown and immeasurable it becomes limited in its power.
It cannot fully decipher the nature of that from which it springs. It can tell
what it is not. The intellect can bring the mind into a state of silence and surrender
acknowledging its limit as a tool to grant the highest wisdom in the human experience.
It can also deny accepting that which is known and measurable to be the ultimate
truth. It can hold the mind into a present moment state that is humble and allow
the Truth or Ultimate Reality to enter the domain of our consciousness at Its
own will. This is when the intellect becomes our greatest gift on Life's journey.
The power of drawing inner wisdom from beyond the intellect is called intuition.
The experience of the truth of who we are and what life is, is an intuitive experience
not an intellectual one.
Are you using the intellect to understand the
nature of your own life and where you are on Life's journey? Are you using it
to plan effective strategies to accomplish your life goals? Are you using it to
avoid distractions on your path? Are you allowing such a powerful tool to lose
its sharpness leaving you with a life of fear, ignorance and mediocrity? Wake
up! Each day probe deeper into life by looking for meaning and purpose in every
situation you encounter. Try to see why you are where you are. Set goals for yourself
that you will help you to discover more of your inner being and power and seek
to use your growing awareness and knowledge to create a better world around you.
In time, you will have the joy of experiencing the world as part of your own being,
an extension of your own consciousness.
Yours in service,
Vasudeva
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