The human mind has the tendency to be tethered to the past or future. In the process, it creates problems due to its anxiety and the like. Understanding the value of spontaneity helps us move into healthy psychology with its spiritual content.
The conventional neurology with which human beings live is characterized by a shield of thought between them and their lives. Such a shield is made up of the residues from the past which in turn sustains the ‘I’, the ego. This means that we are not directly in contact with life but through a corrupting interface – corrupting because everything is judged based on the self-importance of the ‘I’. Understanding the value of spontaneity can bring about a change in this unfortunate state of affairs.
Spontaneity arises out of being alive to the ‘Now’. Self-awareness forms the basis for its genesis. Understanding how the habitual shield comes in and corrupts is part of that awareness. Spontaneity cannot come through the practice of any system since all systems rely on the past and so the ‘Now’ slips by. That gives the chance for the shield to come in and let the ‘I’ rule the roost. Being a conformist sustains the slavery to a system and so blocks spontaneity from streaming in. So, the question is: If not by adopting a method, how does spontaneity come about? Applying ourselves to this puzzle brings in the required awareness and the associated clarity; the shield starts dissolving. Very soon we see freshness flowing into our lives.
In the state of spontaneity, the “I’ creating tendency of the thought-vortex is subdued and so the robotic behavior of the habitual mind loses its virulence. There is an intimate contact with life and the associated tender feeling towards all. People who go through a near death experience (or an out-of-body experience) talk about a state of consciousness in total freedom [Ref. 1]. In that state, one would not manipulate life to fit the demands of the ego. This is related to the spontaneity we are talking about. One understands the emptiness of being tethered to the past or future.
Once we sense the beauty of spontaneity, there is a feeling of moving closer to the soul. We see its intrinsic ability to preclude the problem-creating tendency of the mind driven by habitual ways. The mind falls quiet and a strange confidence flows in. It creates space in our minds and augments stable mental peace. Abundant feeling flows towards all. One feels the proximity to Divinity. There would be the unqualified love, as reported by those who go through a near death experience.
Living with spontaneity clears away many unnecessary fears that trouble us. There is the readiness to face life without the conventional armored approach. In this connection, we are reminded of a statement by J. Krishnamurti: To be vulnerable is to live, to withdraw is to die [Ref. 2]. It helps to reflect and understand the content of that statement.
We may consider three types of couples: Type 1. They never argue, never quarrel; Type 2. These people argue, quarrel, feel hurt, don’t talk to each other for some days and then gradually come around; Type 3. This set of couples argue, quarrel but laugh it off at the end; no residues. Peace returns almost immediately.
If asked which of the three represents the healthiest kind of relationship, most people - if not all - will point to the third set of couples. This is because people know intuitively that it is the residue from an event that destroys, not the event itself. Once we understand the value of spontaneity, residues cannot form and trouble us anymore. No doubt, all these are easier said than done. Nevertheless, it is a challenge that can be interesting. Meeting it squarely helps us move into happy and vibrant living.
The New Age Spirituality is related to this matter of spontaneity and universal goodness; it would not be supportive of conformism and sectarian practices. You may ponder over these matters and also let your friends and relatives reflect on them.
Related matters are covered in the website http://spirituality.yolasite.com
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Reference 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=099Yiqp7ZPU
Reference 2. J. Krishnamurti. Commentaries on Living – Second Series. Ed. by D. Rajagopal, Chennai: Krishnamurti Foundation of India, 1991.
Gopalakrishnan T. Chandrasekaran was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. He received his doctoral degree in Coastal Engineering from the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA in 1978; served on the research and teaching faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, the North Carolina State University and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait.
Aside from his professional involvements, he was interested in the philosophic issues of life for the last forty years or so. This led him to the messages of Ramana Maharishi, Lao Tzu, J Krishnamurthy, UG Krishnamurthy, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Eckhart Tolle, Marcus Aurelius and similar Masters. His book entitled “In Quest of the Deeper Self” is the outcome of his reflections on those and his wish to share the outcome with others.
Gopalakrishnan is a member of the International Association for Near Death Studies, Durham, NC, USA. He lives in Kodaikanal, a hill town in the southern part of India, with his wife Banumathy who also received her doctoral degree from the North Carolina State University, in Organic Chemistry. Now they are both retired and currently involved in developing a fruit farm at a village 20 km from their residence. They have a daughter and son who are both married and settled.
Blog: http://nde-thedeeperself.blogspot.com