Unity Consciousness

If you are not already aware of the concept of "memes", do check out this video to know more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzGjEkp772s&mode=user&search
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In one of my posts last year, I spoke about human beings being the only living creatures on Earth capable of conscious thinking. Now I will contradict myself in saying that what differentiates us from other living species is not conscious thinking, but our memes. We all believe in different memes - memes of religion, family, growth, the future, politics, and so on. These are the things that both separate us, and unite us ("us" as in us, the homo sapiens). We are not truly conscious just because we hold a certain ideology, or follow a certain religious thought - we are merely infected by a "meme". True conscious thinking does not separate us from other beings, but unites us. Every thought/belief/feeling can move us that much further from another being. Just because a person belives his Allah is higher than your Ram, does not mean he is made of different stuff from you - the same cells, the same living matter gives him his breath, as it gives you yours. We need to throw away our memes - they are mostly useless unless they enable us to share more, give more of ourselves to other beings. We must subscribe to a much higher sensation than our memes which are mere products of our own consciousness emanating from this dimension/planetary level - our "mayic/mayan" stories (illusory thinking).
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAvNlh2Z0GI&mode=user&search
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We must be aware of a dangerous disease that infects many today. Something I call spiritual elitism. Spiritual elitism is the phenomenon of feeling higher up on the spiritual evolutionary scale than others. It is so easy to succumb to this disease. Some of the symptoms are the feeling of a dire need to "convert" others, looking down upon "non-believers", etc. Spiritual elitism is linked to some of the memes you hold closest to your heart - and hence you have to be the most careful with them. Had Buddha been a spiritual elitist, Angulimala would have never been transformed. We have to extend our love unconditionally, even to the murderers and sinners in our society. Nobody gets left behind!!
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It is one thing to think we are all united, it is another to feel that we are united, and yet another, to "know" that we are united. Perhaps it is this awareness which the great buddhas call enlightenment. When Aurobindo felt he saw Krishna in everyone, I believe he had reached this sense of unity.
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I recently realised what Osho was talking about when he said that two lonely souls when united cannot make the other one feel better --> loneliness + loneliness does not = fullness! When both are ready to take from the other, empty vessels aching to be filled up, how can they ever share and feel full?! This was the problem with my previous relationships. I have to give in order to receive. We (the human species) are all the same, wanting to know the same truth, we must reach out and share.
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The reason I was feeling depressed recently was that I got caught up in my own problems/my own dark thoughts/I, me, mine. This kind of ego-centric thinking only leads to more misery. It is like getting entangled in a spider's web - you go deeper into the never-ending dark tunnel. The only way out is to think in terms of compassion - reach out to other people - the more you help others come out of their traps, the less you focus on yourself. The problem of "I" then miraculously dissapears.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5cZITQDTrE&mode=user&search
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Ask yourself, what are the memes that separate you from others? If there is someone who believes in a meme contradicting your own, then your meme separates you from that person. How many degrees are you away from the person sitting next to you?
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Picture credit: Artist Monica Stewart

St Therese, the little flower

Devotion. It has been a long time since I used that word, and I finally have found the occasion to use it. I have never admired a person, living or dead, to be moved enough - never found myself a devoted fan or ardent admirer, up until recently. For the first time in my life, I can say for certain, that I am devoted to St Therese of Lisieux. To clarify things, I am not a Catholic, neither am I a christian of any other denomination. My love for her is simple and not religious.

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My connection to her began in the very first weeks of my arrival in Lyon. I was on a touristic round of the sights of the town - and the Cathedrale St Jean was one of my stops. This cathedral is not very inspiring - it is quite dark inside, and frankly the energy is not very uplifting. But on the right hand side, very near the main altar, is an alcove which pays homage to St Therese. A beautiful white statue of her with outstreched arms seemed to literally call out to me. A smell of flowers, her pictures, and her prayers, moved me very near to a state of spiritual bliss. I felt sweet and happy inside. Her remains are not actually kept there I believe, but there had been a passage of her relics throughout Lyon with the Cathedrale being one of the stops. No matter, but her strong loving energy seemed to radiate from that place. I could feel the love - from a person who has been dead for almost 80 years!

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This is the only explanation I can give for my devotion to her. What I feel inside my heart; I am moved by her love.

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She died at a very young age in her hometown in France, at the mere age of 24. Her faith and love towards the Divine was described as "spiritual childhood". She often talked about using simple words to talk to god - fancy prayers weren't needed if they didn't come from the heart (she disliked the rosary and was even reported to have fallen asleep during community prayers). She believed the intention was more important than the very act itself.

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"I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers in books; not knowing which to choose I act as children do who cannot read; I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me."

- Story of A Soul, Chapter X

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"Prayer is, for me, an outburst from the heart; it is a simple glance darted upwards to Heaven; it is a cry of gratitude and of love in the midst of trial as in the midst of joy! In a word, it is something exalted, supernatural, which dilates the soul and unites it to God. Sometimes when I find myself, spiritually, in dryness so great that I cannot produce a single good thought, I recite very slowly a Pater or an Ave Maria; these prayers alone console me, they suffice, they nourish my soul."
- Story of A Soul, Chapter X

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"The science of loving, yes, that’s the only kind of science I want. I’d barter away everything I possess to win it"

- Story of a Soul, Ms B, Knox translation

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"The good God does not need years to accomplish His work of love in a soul; one ray from His Heart can, in an instant, make His flower bloom for eternity..."
- VI letter to her sister Celine

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Here is an interesting excerpt I found from the following webpage - http://www.littleflower.org/learn/faq.asp#1

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How did St. Therese become known as the "Little Flower"?
St. Therese loved nature, and often used the imagery of nature to explain how the Divine Presence is everywhere, and how everything is connected in God's loving care and arms. Therese saw herself as "the Little Flower of Jesus" because she was just like the simple wild flowers in forests and fields, unnoticed by the greater population, yet growing and giving glory to God. Therese did not see herself as a brilliant rose or an elegant lily, by simply as a small wild flower. This is how she understood herself before the Lord - simple and hidden, but blooming where God had planted her.

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Therese believed passionately that Jesus was delighted in his "little flower", and just as a child can be fascinated by the grandeur of a simple flower, she believed that Jesus was fascinated by her as his "little flower". Therese understood that she was just like the tiny flower in the forest, surviving and flourishing through all the seasons of the year. Because of God's grace, she knew that she was stronger than she looked. Following the Carmelite tradition, Therese saw the world as God's garden, and each person being a different kind of flower, enhancing the variety and beauty which Jesus delighted in. When various people tried to explain her powerful inspiration and her place within the Church, it always seemed to come back to one title "The Little Flower".
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In her autobiography, she beautifully explains this spirituality:

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"Jesus set before me the book of nature. I understand how all the flowers God has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. So it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be."

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Just before her death, St Therese proclaimed that she would continue to shower roses from heaven. She believed her life on earth to be a blessing and could not imagine if heaven would be better, because she realised god in this dimension itself, and there was nothing more left for her to do, but to continue loving the Divine. This is a simple and wonderful philosophy and encourages us to love the divine energy right here and now and not wait for some sort of heaven or salvation in the future to be happy. Present moment, wonderful moment!

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If it may interest you to know more about her, you might consider reading her autobiography - "Story of a Soul". May St Therese's love and devotion continue to radiate from heaven and fill our life with blessings and hope. Hope your life will be filled with love and blessings.