Higher Self: Banish the Lower Self, Liberate the Higher Self

By Swami Sukhabodhananda

It is an illusion that we are one. In fact, we are two people in one Ñ the person we assume ourselves to be and what we really are. Only if we observe ourselves can we see that we are the observer and a part of us is observed. The ability to observe must be observed. Or else the observer pollutes the observation and creates an imaginary self. This imaginary self lives like a real self. But if one observes and catches the imagination spinning its illusory reality and learns to disidentify with it, then the authentic self emerges.

Our life depends on one thing called one self. Who is the self is an important truth to be arrived at. There is a lower self and a higher self, the jiva atma and param atma . All forms of suffering are because of the lower self. As long as we remain the lower self our life will not be transformed. The lower self lives in misery, with the illusion to be happy and creates a mirage world of joy and runs after it and thereby protects itself. It will attract misery and disappointment.

If we treat others badly it only reflects that we are treating ourselves badly and this is how the lower self operates. If we are disrespected then we can observe that it is because we are disrespecting others.

This fine observation makes us realise that we are operating from the lower self. When we observe this sensitively then we make ourselves open to receiving help through a guru or prayer. Help cannot reach us if we are operating from the lower self and we are too intoxicated with our own imagination.

We have to notice the way we walk, talk, think, feel, criticise, praise, like, dislike. If we notice these movements closely, our life will start transforming itself mysteriously.

Husband and wife should learn to observe their inner psychology. Then they will realise that if one is operating from the lower self, then one will focus only on misery and not joy. For the food for the lower self is misery.

Most relationships are based on complaints rather than on mutual commitment. It is important to ask ourselves if we are interested in seeing our point of view to survive or if we want happiness to survive. Most of the time people are in love with their point of view rather than happiness. They sacrifice their happiness for the sake of their point of view. The question to be asked is are you wedded to your point of view or to your wife?

To know and not to act on what you know is equal to not knowing. If you have not acted then you have not known. Not knowing is ignorance. People fall in love with words and concepts. The word is an indicator indicating the indicated. See and live the indicated and not the indicator. We have started loving words and not action. We have started believing that a word is knowledge and not action. Drop this and focus on action. Treat action as knowledge and not words. Then see a different movement happening in you.

Reflect on this.

A beggar requested the passerby for alms. He said, Sir, there was a time I was very rich and my motto was Òthink rich and grow richÓ. And I was rich.

Then what happened? asked the passer-by.

Then the sweeper women came and swept off the motto that I had written and all my power to be rich went away.

We live on jargons; we give power to words. Learn to give power to action. Treat action and not words as wisdom. A new energy will move you.

For more information, see: www.swamisukhabodhananda.org