by Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari
“We have to come out with newer ideas, thoughts and expectations to be true thinkers and philosophers for the New World as our consciousness evolves to the next plane of Universalism.”
Human civilization has been on a long journey, evolving toward ever-higher levels of consciousness. Man has always searched for peace outside, while it is only available inside. The outer world of technology has evolved much over time, but our inner evolution of consciousness is finally beginning to get its due attention. The time is ripe as we are passing through a shift of consciousness from religious fundamentalism, to a more scientific-based, rational approach, which leads us finally to the very core essence of all religions: practical, pragmatic, proactive spirituality.
Take the concept of meditation, for example. There was a time when meditation was considered a religious monastic approach to life, but today it has transcended the boundaries of religions and nations, and is part of a universal language. This Universalism is the next plane of consciousness.
We all make individual efforts towards our own evolving consciousness. But we are not alone with our individual efforts, nor can we transcend the barriers of materialism and enter into a world of practical spirituality without help!
Throughout all ages, there have been teachers and saints from every faith and tradition. They are living, breathing beacons on our journey toward evolving consciousness. They work eternally to uplift humanity and the human spirit. They hold our hands to guide us into the highest dimensions of life that are beyond the perception of the physical body and the physical senses. They are beyond this manifested world.
The sum total of all the grace of these saints and teachers, of all their prayers and spiritual practices, and all the blessings that have emanated from them are available to each one of us. They are available to mankind as a whole, not just to any one faith or tradition, for they are Universally available!
Their grace is always working on a very subtle plane. Maybe many of us are not conscious of it, but it is working. It is working every time we have an intuitive glimpse, every time we have a subtler feeling, every time we are drawn into something good, or toward something higher in life. Every time we have a glimpse of mercy or goodness, every time good comes to us from some unknown, unseen source their grace is with us. Every time such things happen in our life, again and again, it is grace, the blessings of all the holy ones who have worked for the betterment of human consciousness throughout time. The words from these awakened spirits have the power to remain in the ethereal world and keep working for the emancipation of human consciousness for eons.
Take a moment to open your heart to their infinite grace each morning. Receive the tender and countless blessings they wish to bestow on you. Let the energy of those blessings fill you, body, mind, and soul. Then offer yourself as an instrument of those blessings to others. See and feel Love, Light, and the incomprehensible blessings pouring through your heart and out to all those you meet as you go through the day. Send those blessings out to touch and uplift all other beings on earth, and to heal all beings that are suffering. Become the radiant channel of blessings for all children of our Mother, the Earth.
Spend some time reflecting and writing on the process of your own unfolding. Look back over your own life journey. Trace the major threads and themes of the evolution of your spirit from childhood until today. What have the driving forces been to your personal evolution of consciousness? How has your life been a movement from the lower to the higher, from darkness to light, from fear to faith? How have any experiences of your own lower nature, of darkness, of fear and pain, ultimately contributed to your turning more to the life of your spirit? What still burdens you today? If those burdens were lifted, what would you have gained from having had them? Then reflect on the larger journey of human evolution in the same way. How are we all on a collective journey toward Universal consciousness?
It is essential that we practice the principles of Universalism that are foundational to life in order for our consciousness to continue to evolve. Mindfulness practice generates that consciousness, anchored in the Spirit Soul within, which always guides an individual in navigating the course of life. It is essential that we realize that life flows from inside out.
The youth all over the world are ready for this shift of consciousness. They are seeking and searching. Hence, it is the right time for all conscious beings to bring the Wisdom from the world of science and spirituality within the reach of the younger generation. Then they can become co-creators in the emergence of the New World, where hate and violence will dissolve, competitiveness will give place to the complementary force, the cohesive growth of humanity as a family. We can realize a world where each person will have enough to be happy, a world where the widening, painful gap between the rich and poor will be bridged, a world where no child will go to bed unfed, and a world where the environment will be protected and peace will permeate the air in the space all around us.