When the Mind Gets Stuck

Examples to Contemplate When the Mind Gets Stuck in Worldly Situations

When watching a movie, I am simply sitting on a chair and observing the drama on the screen. Nothing from the screen can come out and physically affect me, yet I still feel fear, happiness, and many other emotions along with the characters. This shows that I am identifying with certain characters, causing me to resonate with their energy and experience everything that happens to them. While this identification may be acceptable for enjoying the movie, it is important to return to my original state afterwards.

An online video game offers an even more immersive experience. Unlike movies, which only display pre-recorded events, online games allow interaction and dynamic outcomes through the ability to control characters. In this context, I may identify with the character I represent and feel corresponding emotions. Again, this identification is helpful to fully experience the game, but I should return to my original state afterwards.

If I see myself as pure consciousness(in simple terms, it is the feeling of I with no identification like Vijay. Take a moment and feel that before further studying.) and my physical body as a means to interact with the world, life can be viewed as a game—a far more immersive one than any video game. The identification with the physical body is much stronger than with a game character. Taking a moment to reflect on your attachment or identification with the body and meditating on it can help you understand the nature of this "game". If I can return to pure consciousness even a few times a day, I can live joyfully, knowing the physical body gives me the opportunity to participate in the show.

Just as nothing actually harms me while watching a movie or playing a video game, nothing happens to me as pure consciousness, no matter what occurs to the physical body or in the physical world with which I am identified.

I am like the sky; everything else—my physical body, the world, and worldly situations—are just passing clouds. Worldly situations are momentary compared to the lifetime of the body, the body is momentary compared to the lifetime of the world, and the world is momentary compared to the lifetime of the sky and sky appears in my consciousness whenever I can think-of like day dreams.

I am like the ocean. Water evaporates to form clouds, yet there is no noticeable change in the ocean. Rain and rivers replenish it, but still the ocean remains unchanged. Whatever is gained or lost while identifying with a character in a video game does not affect me as a person. Similarly, whatever happens—successes or failures—while identifying with the body does not affect me as consciousness. All these identifications give you a variety of experiences, and that is all there is to it.

Practice:

Identifying with something is nothing but false ego. All these identifications give you a variety of experiences, and that is all there is to it.

Remember yourself beyond identification and return to the role of witness or observer—pure consciousness.

For example: If you have broken something precious and its owner starts shouting at you, you become worried and try to shift the blame to someone else. In that moment, you are really trying to protect the body you identify with from the wrath of others—in other words, you are defending the false ego. There can be many situations in life (as a child, student, employee, spouse, or partner) where you have tried to protect your ego. Meditate on these situations. Revisit them in your consciousness and observe how you would feel if you had not tried to defend the ego and face them as a watcher—without identifying with anything—and respond to them authentically in those situations (automatically you will be honest, brave, intelligent and all noble showers). This brings clear understanding of what ego is and when it surfaces in daily activities. It also helps you experience the taste of bliss (while took the role of watcher), and such experience will irreversibly shift your consciousness closer to ultimate divinity.