LIVING IN ANANDA
Most human beings suffer. We experience triple suffering— the pain of the body, the misery of the mind, and the agony of the ego. This is only because we cling to the ego. We are so attached to ourselves that 'I' becomes everything in this world for us. Thus, we never experience a state of Ananda or Divine bliss. If only we let go of the ego, we will not only find God, but we will also live in a state of Satchitananda – eternal Divine bliss. What is Satchitananda? Sat means truth, chit means consciousness and Ananda means bliss. The moment we become conscious of the truth, we experience a state of bliss. What is the truth? That we are the Divine Soul. God lives within the temple of our heart. We don't have to go to God for happiness. The Divine is within us and thus, the ocean of happiness we are seeking is inside, not outside. The moment we become conscious of God's Divine presence, we are liberated from the triple suffering. We are blessed with the bliss that comes from God-consciousness.
Unfortunately, while this may sound very good, we are unable to remain in Satchitananda for long. Most of us are unable to taste the nectar of this Divine consciousness. Those who do experience it find it stolen by the thief, ME. Our own Mind and Ego together steal our consciousness as they bombard us with thoughts.
Every human being lives their life moment by moment. What occupies our moment? We human beings are filled with thoughts that become feelings and then become actions. There is no 'thoughtless' period where we can experience Divine consciousness. Therefore, the importance of making the mind, which is a monkey, into a monk. We have to stop the jumping of our mind from thought to thought so that we can be conscious of the truth and experience Ananda. The monkey mind is such a rascal that it doesn't even let us sleep in peace. Even then, it is bombarding us with thoughts that result in dreams and stop us from having that much wanted 'sound' sleep.
We must develop the art of letting go of the ego. The ego 'I' is an imposter, an illusion. It is a thief of our bliss and we must not cling to it. As long as we cling to 'I', 'me', 'mine', we will not enjoy this everlasting peace and bliss.
God is happiness. God-realization is a gift of being seamlessly happy, without interruptions of misery. The ego keeps interrupting our God-consciousness with thoughts from the mind. It first makes us ignorant and tries to make us believe that we are 'me', this body, and this mind. It then makes us pray to a God that is not really God, but just a symbol of God. It spoils our journey called life, chasing possessions and people and stops us from the quest for self- realization and God-realization. Because we live as the ego with the mind, we become the doers of action, creating our own Karma and we are born again and again, life after life, needlessly. If only we realize that we are the Divine Soul, and we are successful in letting go of the ego, we will be like waves dancing in the ocean, fearless, without any worries or anxiety, realizing that we are Divinity, living in this human form. We are not what most people think – human beings having a spiritual experience on earth. The reality is, we are a Mind and Ego, ME, imprisoned by ignorance in this body. The moment we become conscious of the truth, we are liberated, and we experience Ananda.
Very few people are blessed with Enlightenment, with realization. They become conscious that they are not this body and mind. They transcend the ego. But can they be conscious of this truth all the time?
The Ego and the Mind constantly make us flip over from HE to ME, from being the Holistic Energy, HE to Mind and Ego, ME. We can only be one, the consciousness or the mind at any point of time. As consciousness, we can see the mind. But if the mind is thinking, we lose consciousness of the truth. Our challenge is to be a Sthitpragya, one with a steady intellect. One who lives with a steady intellect is able to be conscious of the truth and experience Ananda. But even such a person is disturbed by the ego. As long as we are alive, the 'I' cannot die. The ego will keep raising its head and robbing our consciousness and Ananda.
One who has achieved the state of Self-realization and God- realization transcends the ego and the mind. Such a person is not affected by the world as they have realized the truth. They are enlightened beings and they remain in a state of Ananda all the time. Ordinary human beings become happy with achievement, but they are never satisfied. A small fraction of humanity lives with contentment and fulfillment. But none of these are free from misery and suffering. It is only a rare minority that reaches the third and ultimate peak of Enlightenment. They live in Ananda, eternal bliss as they let go of their ego.
The ego constantly steals our bliss. Either it makes us suffer the pain of the physical body or experience misery of the wandering mind. It also constantly creates agony and anguish as it erupts in anger, or with jealously, hate and revenge. If only we let go of the ego, we can live in Ananda, everlasting Divine bliss.