Science and Spirituality

Researchers of every age and branch of science are beginning to conclude that we participate more than we currently believe in creating our own health, or lack thereof.  Here is an overview of some of their research.

“All matter is energy”

 Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“Treating humans without concept of energy is treating dead matter”

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, M.D. Hungary, Nobel Laureate (1893- 1986)

“Future medicine will be based on controlling energy fields.”

Prof. William Tiller, Ph.D. (Stanford University)

“Diseases are to be diagnosed and prevented via energy field assessment.”

George Crile Sr., M.D., Founder of the Cleveland Clinic (1864-1943)

“Body chemistry is governed by quantum cellular fields.”

 Prof. Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel Laureate, USA

“All living organisms emit field.”

Semyon D. Kirlian, U.S.S.R. (1900-1980)

What is being demonstrated today in quantum physics is not a new thought, although sophistication in experimental design and research has given these older concepts new standing in science and is slowly trickling down into how the medical community views and treats disease.

New brain research, for example, has demonstrated that the placebo effect is not purely a psychological phenomenon as previously thought.

In fact it has shown just the opposite; that a patient’s beliefs stimulate the brain to manufacture a wide variety of bio-chemicals that impact the health of the body.

What people take to be miracles are nothing more than higher laws hidden from us. Scientists are coming to realize that this universe is not as solid as we thought it was. Matter is vibrating energy that appears to the physical eye as solid. Performing miracles is nothing more than tapping into energy and manipulating it by power of thought and spirit.

Medicine today is slowly evolving towards a more holistic approach to healing. A lot is being said about the mind-body connection - of healing the body by healing the mind. Meditation as a way to reduce stress and eliminate stress-related illnesses is being explored.

Quantum physicist Ervin Lazlo writes in the emerging concept of the new sciences that there is no separation between the physical world, the living world, and the world of mind and consciousness. 

Physical matter is vanishing as a fundamental feature of reality, retreating before energy. In this emerging concept there is no absolute matter, only matter-generating energy field.

Albert Einstein postulated that everything seen boils down to energy; that the atom was not the smallest unit comprising physical matter. He further stated that at the subatomic level there is no substance, only energy frequency.

This theory is widely accepted today in the scientific community and is consistent with other researchers in the emerging field of “energy medicine” who have postulated that you cannot have a disease that originates from substance, because at the deepest level there is no substance.

There is no totality of human experience in science as it includes only a part of human experience. Spirituality extends to supra-intellectual and other subtle planes of human consciousness as it denotes the pursuit of knowledge for the Infinite and Immutable which is beyond the ephemeral world of duality. Its domain is not only of matter but also of human life, feelings, emotions and consciousness.

For modern science, the center of gravity is outside of man himself; he is simply being treated as an object. Though science has wiped out many of his fears and uncertainties, it has also helped create in him new fears and uncertainties. This is possible only because he is ignorant of his inner self.

Spirituality is a science of values; the pivotal point on which depends the progress and survival of mankind. Experience or ‘anubhava’ is the only true source of knowledge. Belief and faith are spontaneous when one is made to experience what is sought to be taught or preached.

Scientists are not receptive to spirituality because it is not taught as a science of experience. A genuine mystic will fire the scientist’s intellect by the divine light of ‘atman’, which alone opens the door of inward search and tuning. He will then understand that we are a microcosm with the entire macrocosm within us. The outside world is only a manifestation of the immense world within.

Some of the greatest scientists have attributed their sparks of genius to spiritual inspiration. 

"I assert that cosmic religious experience is the strongest and the noblest driving force behind scientific research," ~ Albert Einstein.

Innovators have often confessed that their ideas were the result of some kind of "divine" inspiration. Some people live only to gratify their own desires and wants. But those who come in contact with a higher power discover that the greatest purpose of our life is to love and serve others. Scientists, for instance, devote their lives to better the lives of others. Thus, we find that the mission of both scientists and spiritual masters is one and the same. They are both here to find the hidden laws of nature, the higher power that created everything, and use their discoveries to better the lives of others.

Science and spirituality make for a mutual partnership. If those engaged in science spend some time in silence, looking within, they will get inspired to find answers to the questions they ask. Similarly, spiritual seekers, when they test hypotheses in the laboratory of their own body and soul, will find the answers.

So, one can safely conclude that science and spirituality are two sides of the same coin. The aim of science is to uncover the deepest spiritual truths, and the aim of spirituality is to search for the cause behind scientific fact.

Science seems to be in a perpetual state of believing it has the truth, despite its history of changing paradigms. This failure to accept the idea of "mysteries" is inexplicable, because there will always be a great mystery out there waiting to be discovered. The Universe is not so small, nor so simple as to lend itself to total analysis by a logical science. This does not diminish the value of science, but simply places it in an appropriate perspective. Science provides one type of insight into the workings of the universe, but not the only insight. The arts certainly provide another route to knowledge, and mysticism provides yet another. The combination of logical science (western science) and analogical science (science of correspondence) can help us to understand our role in the universe, and to appreciate the universe as the extraordinary multifaceted phenomena it truly is.

We live in the most intellectual culture that the world has ever seen. Yet our religions offer very little in the way of intellectual appeal, unable to successfully bridge this gap. Too often those who claim to represent spirituality in fact do not. This all too frequently turns people away from any consideration of the spiritual path, and leads many to believe that religion has nothing to offer. The techniques utilized by the science of correspondence offers considerable intellectual stimulation, and, if successful, eventually leading to a personal experiential understanding of spirituality. Ultimately, the transformation process which allows consciousness on the level of the spirit (the sambhogakaya – the body of bliss, or the body that experiences the fruits of Buddhist practice, the ananda-maya-kosa – the spiritual bliss) is the process of the spiritual path.

Today in the western world and elsewhere, too often one is told to have faith, and not to question. Ultimately, at some juncture, one may require a leap of faith, but that leap comes after years of pursuing and questioning, eradicating oneself of doubt. True spirituality requires questioning as does true science. One must not be deluded into believing one 'believes' when one does not and one still has many unanswered questions. Too often our 'spiritual' leaders cannot answer our questions because they have not had a spiritual awakening themselves and therefore discourage the asking of questions, telling one to have faith. This truly discourages a scientific mind, and can encourage a fanaticism, and fanaticism is not true religion, is not spirituality.

In the present technological world, while science is primarily logical in nature, the true spiritual perspective is primarily metaphorical in nature. Here, we need to keep in mind that these metaphors produce higher truths, and logic produces lesser truths. The science of correspondence is quite unlike our logical science. It takes us in a different direction and yields unique information about the nature of mankind and the universe. The science of correspondence has an aesthetic quality to it, is inclusive of all systems, is humbling, often appearing simple and naïve from our technological point of view, and tends toward long term solutions and a quality of patience. In essence, the science of correspondence appears to be more experiential in nature, producing direct knowledge of that which is being studied. This presents an apparent conflict with science - a difficult hurdle to overcome, since science is intellectual in nature, believing that intellectual understandings are supreme and free of bias or superstition. Science does not in the least trust direct experiential or intuitive knowing. In fact the only statement traditional science has made about "experience" is "don't trust it".

Although the end pursuit of science appears to be an intellectual comprehension of the universe, the science of mysticism is primarily involved with a direct knowledge of some ultimate reality, experience, etc., knowledge or wisdom which cannot be comprehended intellectually and therefore MUST BE DIRECTLY EXPERIENCED. It's a journey we must ultimately make on our own, hopefully with experienced teachers to guide us.

In the minds of many people spirituality is seen as unscientific, and thus as a load of babble that does not actually mean anything. After all, it cannot be proven scientifically speaking, and thus can only be wrong. No amount of math, or physics for that matter, can show the concepts proclaimed by spiritual people, so why even bother? I would not say that I am a highly spiritual person, neither particularly religious. However, I do believe in certain aspects of spiritual teachings, and at the same time, call myself a man of science. How can that be?

After studying several different scientific methods, as well as several spiritually inclined methods, for change and exploring the power of the mind, I have come to realize that both, spirituality and science are metaphors. A metaphor is defined as “an indirect comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects”. So science is our metaphor for what we think is really happening, when in actual fact of the matter, we are only interpreting results and speculating anyway.

Furthermore, spirituality is often said to be quite in-congruent within itself, hence it cannot be taken seriously. Well, not to defend this, but let’s look at science. Newtonian physics might work well for explaining the things we can see with the human eye, big objects, and stars. Yet, on a quantum level, Newtonian physics is useless, and we enter the domain of quantum physics. These two mindsets and mathematical rules do not fit with each other. When combined, they give nonsensical predictions. So science within itself is in-congruent!!

Any metaphor has its application, and also its inbuilt boundaries. Yet we try to stretch certain metaphors to explain virtually everything, and thus go beyond their limits. This is true for science and also for spirituality. Each metaphor has its application and use, and as such we should make full use of them. The really intriguing question is what is your own metaphor or that of your friends, co-workers, because at the end of the day, all we do is live in our metaphors, and as you know, everything is a metaphor.

Connecting Science and Spirituality

I believe that it is possible to connect science with spirituality in meaningful ways that do no injustice to science or religion. The first and most obvious connection between the two is in a shared attitude towards truth. The spiritual seeker and the dedicated scientist are both concerned with universal truths that transcend cultural and physical relativities. For science these are called Laws of Nature. For the spiritual seeker these eternal truths are also known as the Laws of Nature.

Commitment to truth is well known in the scientific community but it is equally important for the spiritual seeker. "What is truth?” asked the 13^th century German mystic, Meister Eckhart. "Truth is something so noble that if God could turn aside from it, we could keep the truth and let God go", defined the 20^th century Swami Budhananda.

Is not Meister Eckhart's commitment to truth so appropriate for scientific investigation that any scientist would be pleased to emulate it? These are some basic connections that link science and spirituality in ways that perhaps do not build a marriage or a bridge, but do initially indicate the absence of a bottomless divide.

The present holistic approach can, however, be taken many steps further by asking some questions about the nature of science and of the scientific experience. What then is science? It seems that science is more an attitude than a method.

The attitude is one of testing interpretations of observed phenomena against further observations until one interpretation emerges as the best. Unfortunately, judgments about the best interpretation vary greatly.

To see science more as an attitude than a method is to find some small expansion of the conventional objective methods of science. Such as: controlled conditions, repeatability, falsifiability, predictability, quantification, control groups and location. These are non-core features of science even though they are frequently important.

The Gap

If science is an attitude rather than a method then the attributes of this subjective attitude should form the character of the scientific experience, the second question referred to above. The scientific experience is an experience normally seen to involve the so-called 'gap' between the physical world 'out there' and the world of thought 'in here'. If this gap does exist, as assumed by most science, then science and spirituality can never be strongly linked. If on the other hand, there is no gap then scientific experience will simply be a feature of subjectivity and a significant barrier preventing interconnection will be removed.

Today we tend to talk in terms of subjective experience rather than human sensibilities or transcendental apperception. But whatever terms we use, all investigations will lead to the conclusion that this framework is integrated and not divided. In other words, the processes of observation and of concept formation are entirely integrated. Nowhere is there a division between what can be called an inner and an outer world. The lack of evidence for such a gap, yet the continual assumption in scientific investigation that such a gap exists, reflects the problem of bridging science and spirituality.

Both science and spirituality come within the framework of human sensibility - of subjective experience - and this means that science is produced by the same general subjective processes as spirituality. To make the cohesion of this framework more apparent we need to take a broad look at the medium which links both science and spirituality. This is the medium of meaning. Both science and spirituality create meaning, and meaning is the ever present medium of subjective experience. The critical question at this junction is therefore, what do we mean by the term 'meaning'?

Scientific investigation is always about the meaning of something. This is the case in physics, chemistry, biology as well as the social sciences. While most practitioners in these fields may not see themselves as using and creating meaning; this is overwhelmingly what is happening. The kind of activity which is seen to occur between and within matter - particles, cells, tissue, organs, plants, animals, populations and the languages of these fields - is only the derivative signs of life. It is the meaning 'of something', created by the interaction of stable systems of relations, systems that are called, particles, cells, tissue and so on.

If life in the universe is to be found in the fundamentally relations of morphic fields, and in a derivate sense as the signs of life (through the interactions of forms within these fields), then the obvious conclusion to draw from all this is that the universe is alive at every level and in every substance and in every time and in every space. This conclusion comes from the logic that relations are omnipresent in the universe and this leads on to the inevitable conclusion that the agency of life, which is the force of formless meaning, is omnipresent in the universe. In other words, the visible universe exists within an infinite morphic field and so has meaning and consciousness at every point in space/time.

Consciousness

'Life' is a term with strong biological connotations while 'consciousness' is a term that has both psychological and spiritual uses. Life and consciousness come together however, in the present use of the meaning of meaning. It is proposed that meaning, in its fundamental and formless role has energy, force and agency. The nature of this energy and agency is consciousness.

The symmetry of meaning and consciousness implies that consciousness is the vital force that occupies the subjective field in which signs interact, scientific undertakings emerge and spirituality develops. In this view, signs, science and spirituality are features of consciousness and can be studied in terms of their relational architecture rather than exclusively and formally in their own separate terms. This means that consciousness is best analyzed as meaning which in turn is best studied in terms of relations.

The symmetry of meaning and consciousness also provides support for the proposition that meaning is not a shadow generated by the interaction of signs (as traditionally assumed). Meaning itself has movement, force, energy, and agency - consciousness. This is the same dynamic power which the Indian mystical philosophy of Vedanta calls ‘sakti.’ These are also the features we call life and thus being. Meaning therefore constitutes being-ness. A change of meaning will always represent a change of being-ness but it is also a change of consciousness.

What is interesting about this morphic field of consciousness (being-ness) is that it is infinitely expansive, which is to say that nothing exists outside meaning. In other words, nothing exists outside of consciousness. If this is true then the context of subjective experience, in which science occurs, is situated within the movement, force and agency of the ultimate reality of being-ness, that is, within the formless, morphic field of the meaning of meaning. From a spiritual position the ultimate reality is usually assumed to be God or cosmic consciousness. Enlightened souls such as Sri Ramana Maharshi often use the term 'the Self' to refer to this ultimate reality.

Famous for his methods of self inquiry, Sri Ramana Maharshi had this to say about this spiritual relationship: “The only permanent thing is Reality; and that is the Self. You say 'I am', 'I am going', 'I am speaking', 'I am working', etc. Hyphenate 'I am' in all of them. Thus I - AM. That is the abiding and fundamental Reality. This truth was taught by God to Moses: 'I AM that I AM'. 'Be still and know that I - AM God'. So 'I - AM ' is God.”

'I - AM' is the ultimate self-referral which it is possible to speak. The realized meaning of this self-referral implies a state of consciousness beyond words, a formless state of meaning beyond thought, a state of 'no-mind', a state of being where the individual self expands into the cosmic Self. This is a state of stillness beyond the defenses of the ego where meaning rests with the infinite and eternal symmetry of that stream of consciousness which 'I - AM'.

The evidence of formless symmetry within language, within non-conscious subjectivity, within love and throughout the entire universe at every point in space/time tells us that there are no gaps between inner and outer worlds because there is not inner or outer world. There is only one, undivided, interconnected, formless, unmoved agency of cosmic consciousness. The differences we see are the differences created by the derivative meaning of forms, the apparent relative autonomy of which has itself been created by the agency of formless meaning. We are therefore already connected to each other and to the environment without the need for conscious design. What is needed is a conscious design to re-learn about what is already there - to learn about coming home to what is already there.

The Bridge

The bridge connecting science and spirituality rests on a common view and commitment to truth that is beyond cultural relativities. The structure of this bridge is provided by subjective experience which is the context for both spiritual observance and scientific endeavor.

The gap between science and spirituality is now closed, for the scientist who seeks after symmetry walks a parallel path to the spiritual seeker who yearns for Self-realization. The scientist looks outwards to trace the origins of the universe to the symmetry that lies beyond matter. The spiritual seeker looks inwards to the silence of the recursive symmetries of Self-realization. While the paths are different, the goal of realizing the oneness of symmetry is the same for both seekers.

This concludes the series of articles on the Eleven Dimensions of Self Awareness and Balancing the Wheel of Life. From next week onwards, I will be writing more on the spiritual aspects of life interspersed with additional articles on how the advances in science are bringing together both the science and spirituality ever more closely. I hope you will continue to read these articles and/or forward to your friends/family that you think will like and add value to their lives. Namaste!

11 Dimensions of Self Awareness - Balancing Body, Mind and Soul

8^th article of the Series

The past couple of weeks, I was focused on how one can examine each of the 8 dimensions of life and strive to balance the home and work life, two components of the outer life. In this final article, I am going to talk about the inner life and the importance of building a state of heightened self-awareness and wholeness to achieve harmony and joy spiritually.

In one of the earlier articles, I wrote that “it is important that you must be able to see the gap between your inner life values - your ‘true’ self - and the choices you make based on your outer life conditioning - your ‘false’ self.”

We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and something can be staring us right under our nose but we don’t see it. The only time we think of unlocking our self improvement power is when everything gets worst. We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs when things get rough and tough.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. But change becomes more painful when we ignore it.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life – and we are all going to eventually unlock our self improvement power not because the world says so, but because we realize it’s for our own good.

Successful people don’t just accept change, they embrace it. Now, you don’t have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self improvement. Unlocking your self-improvement power means unlocking yourself up in the cage of thought that “it’s just the way I am”. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. All of us program our minds subconsciously.

Self improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved.

To unlock the infinite power of self you must understand what Self is. Your Self consists of three core elements: your body, your mind, and your spirit. You must work on each one of these elements as part of the self improvement process. Each part of self affects the other and each is as important as the other. You need to understand where you currently exist on the spectrum of personal development and life balance. Since we already discussed balancing the outer life, we will now focus on the internal life.

Please understand that there is no right or wrong dimension to be on. Each level is fine. You’ll never exist solely in one level. In fact, as long as you live you will fluctuate through the different levels and that is how you will achieve balance. First you need to determine where you are spending most of your time. Once you determine where you spend the majority of your time and energy, you will have a better understanding of why you currently feel unfulfilled.

Self Improvement through Body:

Your body is the vehicle with which you interact with physical life. Through your body you communicate with the world around you. Your mind uses your body to express itself; your spirit uses your body to experience itself. You must keep your body as fit and active as it is possible for it to be for the rest of your life. If you do not let your body do what it was designed for it will falter and ultimately fail. As well as feeding body for optimum health you must also exercise it so that it can renew itself. Your muscles keep themselves strong by use. The same can be said of your brain too. If you find yourself spending most of your time, energy and effort only on the body, you will feel empty, unhappy, and unfulfilled. Your life is not balanced; therefore you will eventually feel uninterested and unfulfilled.

Your body has innate wisdom. Practice paying attention to the wisdom within, and you will be surprised about what you learn. Your body is naturally attuned to the life force that sustains it; it is the mind that confuses things. We must practice discernment and learn by trial and error what works for us.

The process of listening to your body involves remaining open to hearing what is required in each moment. Get into the habit of asking yourself: What does my body want today? When we don't listen, we often wind up imposing rules that just won't stick. Gorging on junk food after a nice big salad and tofu patties may be a sign that we are not listening.

Go easy on yourself. Have the sweets if you crave them. Perhaps by allowing a reasonable amount of them when first desired, they'll lose some of their appeal. The mind can be funny that way; it tends to want what you tell it not to have. So play a little game and psyche yourself out. Allow yourself to indulge a bit, but also make an effort to include more nutritious foods in your diet. Pay attention to how you feel. Let your body guide you. Throw away the books by the so-called experts, and listen within.

Worry and fear are creeping into our plates. How about love of the self? How about nourishing our souls as we nourish our bodies? Try candlelight, soothing music, a pleasant setting and, if possible, the company of those you love. Avoid arguments and heated discussions at meal time. This harmony will do more for optimal assimilation and digestion than all the food-combining rules under the sun.

Try breathing deeply and envisioning a healthful meal being assimilated into particles of light that are imparted with the wisdom to travel to the parts of your body that need them most. Now, THAT'S nourishing! Most importantly, simply savor your food and relax. Bask in the knowledge that your body is a magnificent creation that is masterfully equipped to extract and absorb the vital nutrients that will sustain you.

Self Improvement through Mind:

It is through the mind that you make the decisions for your body. Everything that you are today has been planned out by your mind. The job you do, how much you earn, the person you married, your weight, your beauty, your car, your house etc. Through your mind and your thoughts you have created your present life experience.

If you want self improvement in any part of your life as you experience it now you must improve your mind. Knowledge is a key that opens so many doors. Improve your mind through the acquisition of information. Perhaps you want a better job and to earn more money. What do you need to know to get from where you are to where you want to get to? Do you need extra qualifications or to retrain?

The truth is, the mind loves to solve problems, so it will complicate your life to the point of utter exhaustion. Your “To Do” list gets longer and longer simply because the mind is complicating your life so you have more problems to solve. You know the scenario, think of the workaholic who always putting out fires at work, one after another. Or the woman who has to keep up with all of her kids schedule and her work schedule and everything in between keeping herself so busy she never takes time for herself. Or the entrepreneur who jumps from business opportunity to business opportunity never finding that one that “works.” Spending too much time in the “Mind” phase will make you just as unhappy, unfulfilled and stuck as spending too much time and energy on the body.

Improving the conscious mind is the easier part. The difficulty is the subconscious mind which also has a huge part to play in your life as you experience it today. Perhaps you are overweight because you eat inappropriately. You find it difficult to resist the urge to binge on chocolate but you don’t know why. The answer probably lies somewhere in your subconscious where you have stored and learned that behavior from the past. Once you access the subconscious you can change what is stored there and thus improve your behavior. There are a number of professionals and therapists who can help you improve yourself through the mind and there are a number of self help techniques you can use.

Man is evolving constantly. Each dimension of his being - physical, mental, and spiritual - has its own force of consciousness and though separate, is interconnected with others. Through these levels of attainment he supports his own evolution. When he is at the physical level, any pain - even a fever - can bring about anxiety or depression. At the mental dimension, well being begins with learning. Self-observation, self-analysis and self-knowledge need an intellectual approach. Ordinarily, negative emotions like anger, hatred, and greed within certain limits are accepted as normal human weaknesses. However, these emotions have no place in the life of those who seek spiritual evolution. An agitated mind is 'impure' while a steady mind that is alert and joyful is 'pure'.

Non-apprehension of reality is the cause for all misapprehensions. A deluded mind creates misunderstandings. One who broods over the past mars the present which is what shapes the future.

Each moment, one is not only reaping the fruits of past actions, but one is also creating the recipe for life tomorrow. The power of the past on the consciousness is what determines our behavior. Indeed, it is not easy to break away fully from the negative influence of the past, but it is important to realize the need for change. In the worldly sense, through self-effort or help from others, one achieves a certain amount of success and happiness but this is not enough to experience total well being.

One does not have to be a yogi to know the secret of the final solution for good fortune, health and success. A royal, final formula for achieving peace and joy was expressed 5,000 years ago by Krishna in the Bhagavad Geetha (Ch 9): "To you, who are devoid of the carping spirit, I shall now unfold the most secret knowledge of nirguna brahma along with the knowledge of manifest divinity, knowing which you shall be free from the evil of worldly existence".

The final solution is for those who prepare the mind for its inward journey, still staying in tune with the orchestra of life, maintaining a healthy relationship with the world outside. This knowledge is the royal science of life because it provides us with scientific, achievable techniques. This is called the royal secret because it is too profound for the lay person. This is the final solution because it is the supreme purifier which leads us to the ultimate truth that is really within us.

Self Improvement through Spirit:

Such concepts as faith, hope, joy, contentment, peace, and love all fall within the realm of the spirit. You don’t have to be religious to know the essential nature of these things to fully experience a life of the highest quality. However working with the spirit is different than working with the body and mind. You can work to improve your body and mind but you must work to let your spirit improve you.

Just taking time on a regular basis to get in touch with your spirit will bring you self improvement at the most profound level. Religious structures and practices have been put in place by our ancestors to help us commune with the spirit. You may choose to follow a religion or find your own path but without good spiritual health you will find the power of self improvement in all areas much more difficult to unleash.

The soul wants to be beneficial to other people and make the world a better place. Again this seems like a great thing, and it is. So what’s wrong with helping people? The soul is the part that puts on charity events, that helps the homeless, that volunteers and builds businesses to help other people. The soul is a beautiful part of the human experience. All people are inherently drawn to help other people. The fact is it makes us feel good to help other people. And we should absolutely spend a good deal of time in this part of the human experience. This is the part that achieves goals that are bigger than us as individuals.

Body, Mind, and Spirit - Strike a Balance  

Ancient Vedic sages have said that human beings are composed of both matter and spirit. Our physical body, mind and intellect are the matter components while our soul is the spirit - the real Self - that radiates and drives the matter components.

We have been blessed with the capacity to Choose. We are equipped to take decisions using our intellect and by applying acquired wisdom. We have vast potential, but because of our ignorance of Self, these potentials remain largely untapped. That is why all wise men have exhorted us to try and attain Supreme Knowledge of the Self.

Today, we strive for perfection in every field. With the evolution of mind and intellect, worldly knowledge has become easily accessible. So, we have achieved a certain measure of excellence in the physical sciences. We have created for ourselves many facilities that make life more comfortable.

Our scriptures proclaim that the true nature of human beings is absolute tranquility and peace. But today, we find that with so many worldly possessions at our command, our lives have become far more stressful and unhappy than ever before. We have become totally materialistic and self-centered.

No one has time for either themselves or their families. The so called industrial and scientific advancements have failed to bring human beings closer to one another. How many of us smile when we see someone else on the street? In fact, we are increasingly isolating ourselves, creating a vacuum around us.

In mindless pursuit of worldly possessions, negative emotions like greed, jealousy and hatred have overpowered our minds, creating tensions. In order to combat stress and tension, we tend to over-indulge ourselves. Some try to find solace in substance abuse. One reason for this could be: Scientific advancement has not travelled beyond the physical level. We have achieved excellence in the physical sciences, but at the spiritual level, we lag far behind.

Physical experiences that are bereft of spirituality fail to connect with our true Self. The stress starts from within; the solution also lies within. The physical body functions with the hidden Spirit, which is the real Self. So it is important for us to gain knowledge of the Self.

Once we are able to do this, (with the help of a guru, perhaps) our hidden inherent potentials come to the fore. The seed of a large Banyan tree is tiny, like a mustard seed. It is so small that it can be blown away by a gentle breeze. The seed is however unaware of its hidden inherited potential. But when it is sown, it submits itself to growth - with the right inputs of water, air and sunlight, it grows to become a great big Banyan tree. But even the Banyan tree has limits to its growth.

Jeeva or soul is a fragmented part of God or the Supreme Soul; it is, therefore, infinite. When we submit ourselves to the guidance of a spiritual master, we have an opportunity to gain knowledge of Self through which we can fully realize our hidden potential. Great men are not those who do big things, but those who do small things with perfection, and the perfection comes from within.

Brahma gynana or realization of truth alone will bring about a reformation, helping to establish lasting peace. Our sages proclaimed that the whole world is a family and they wished everyone well. Let's take the cue.

Let us attempt to know more about our inner Self, by striving for excellence not just in the field of physical sciences, but also in the field of spirituality.

Conclusion

In order to bring true balance to your life, you must balance the three parts that exist within you. Take care of the body; learn to enjoy a physical life. Use the mind to solve problems. And use your soul to direct the mind and body to where you can make the biggest difference in the world right now.

No one is perfect, and if you find yourself in the situation where you feel stuck, take inventory of your life and take a look at where you are spending the majority of your time and energy. Listen to those areas that you haven’t heard from for a while. When you nurture all three aspects of you equally, you get a perfect balance between each of them. This gives you great health, pure positivity and happiness. You feel free and secure, you lose fear and you get into the flow of life – everything you desire comes into your experience easily.

Finding balance is an ongoing project. Be sure to feel out each level daily to ensure that you remain in the harmonious and most effective state you can. You deserve the best life possible.

This is the final installment of this series on Self Awareness and Balancing of Life Wheel. Also, starting next week my corporate blog and my personal/spiritual blog get separated and go their individual directions.  You can subscribe to the RSS feed for my corporate blog at eMBCblog.blogspot.com and the personal/spiritual blog at PersonalDevelopmentRiches.com.

On the personal/spiritual blog, I will continue to write more about the spiritual aspects of our life, starting with the connection between Science and Spirituality. This will describe how the emerging concept of the new sciences has reduced the separation between the physical world, the living world, and the world of mind and consciousness to ‘nothing.’ This will also lay the foundation for the future topics on spirituality.

I hope you enjoyed reading these articles as much as I have enjoyed writing these down. Sharing these thoughts has been a divine experience for me even if it benefitted few. I look forward to hearing your stories and personal experiences so I can learn new truths and grow myself both personally and spiritually. Namaste!

11 Dimensions of Self Awareness - Balance of Life Wheel: Work Life

7^th article of the Series

At the start of this series of articles, I introduced the concept of Inner Life and Outer Life on opposite ends of the Balance of Life. I also stated that there are a total of eleven dimensions overall to balancing the Life Wheel in order to achieve harmony, joy and success in your life.

Both work life and home life exist on the same side of the scale - the Outer Life. They each have 4 dimensions in them. Since we already discussed the home life and its four dimensions last week, let’s focus on the 4 dimensions of the work life in this article.

The four dimensions of work life are People, Productivity, Execution (Actions/Tasks) – also known as KARMA to those familiar with the Bhagavad Geetha, and Leadership. Next week, we will discuss the Inner Life and its 3 dimensions (body, mind and spirit/soul).

Many people wonder why they do not have the success that they want in professional life. Most of the time, the reason will be right under their nose; they are just unable to see it. The first thing that someone who is not successful in work life should ask is, "Am I successful in my personal life and relationships?"

If the answer is no, then you now have your answer as to why you are not successful in professional life. You cannot have a successful career if you do not have adequate personal and social development.

The business world is not your entire life, as much as it may seem to be. Your career is but one aspect of your life that also includes friends, family, and personal needs and issues. The only way to have success in your career is by having success in personal and social development. A balance must be struck. True success cannot be had in one area of your life and not another. This is how personal development, social development, and business development are all linked together.

You work hard, but do you play hard? An employee review survey by a European HR Group found that 57% of Generation Y employees and 26% of Baby Boomers take off unplanned days from work to deal with stress. You may think that business owners would do the same but surveys indicate that they tend to work harder, rather than step away, as the stress builds.

Entrepreneurs are multi-dimensional, passionate individuals so living a whole life is more important to their health and well being than almost anything. They are risk takers, yet are too often tucked behind their desk - safely focusing on the tedious aspects of their business because they think that they can do it without anyone’s help.

It’s easy to get caught in this trap, but really, how productive can you be when you are missing your family and friends, yearning for another sky diving adventure, and neglecting your workout time? There is no shortage of studies showing that employee effectiveness rises when time off is taken on a regular basis, but entrepreneurs easily lose sight of this fact, working for months – even years – without time away from the business.

It’s a fact that productivity levels drop with lack of life balance. You need to recharge your batteries on a consistent basis.  When you take time out your creativity, endurance, happiness and, most likely your profits, will all increase. Here are some simple ways to recharge.

1. Take frequent breaks in your day. 

While it’s important to have two-hour chunks of focused time in your work schedule, it’s equally important to give your brain and body a rest. Schedule a short walk, do lunch away from the computer, and other pleasant activities into your day. You will find that you are able to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently as this habit becomes part of your daily routine.

2. Focus on what is important. 

Ask yourself, “What is most important to me in life, other than a successful business?”  Is it spending time with family and friends? Being in nature? Connecting with your spirituality? Now ask, “How much of my time do I spend in this area of my life?” Odds are you are spending the least amount of time in the most important life categories. As you increase time in these areas you will feel more complete, less guilty, and more focused. It may seem impossible to escape work after 8 hours, but give it a try and see how you feel the next day. Spend an extra couple of hours a week with the kids, your spouse, your friends or extended family. You may just find yourself able to complete things more effectively as your focus and clarity returns after some hours of leisure.

3. Take a mini-vacation. 

Perhaps you can’t afford a full-blown vacation right now; that’s okay (for the time being). How about getting away from your familiar surroundings without getting on an airplane? Is there a little town nearby that offers unique restaurants and shopping? Do you like amusement parks? How about a picnic or hiking the trails? A day at the beach, perhaps? Think of a one-day getaway that is low budget but enjoyable. You’ll be surprised at how this can renew your spirit!

4. Spend time working away from the office.  

I am sitting in my favorite book shop, enjoying the presence of familiar faces and browsing some new releases. Stepping away from my work environment couple of times a week gives me an emotional boost. So many business owners are social, people-loving individuals, yet they isolate themselves for days at a time. One of the reasons you probably started your own business is because you value your freedom; enjoy it! Take your laptop outside, go to the library, think about joining a networking group or find another work-related weekly event.

5. Schedule date nights. 

If you are married or have a significant other, make sure you are spending quality time together. You chose one another for a reason, spend time enjoying it! Reignite the passion and appreciate the value in having a mate. Imagine if you were going through life right now without someone to lean on and love, do your best not to take it for granted.

Productivity Dimension

Productivity is NOT a bad word that is to be scorned at. In fact, if we are not cognizant of our productivity, we often experience feeling less balanced. Having a sense that you have been productive can be extremely satisfying. However, what can be harmful to our sense of balance is our culture’s obsession with it and constant pressure we have placed on ourselves to get as many things DONE as possible in order to feel happy.

The problem with solely focusing on quantity is that even if we did get a lot done in a day, week, or year for that matter, too often it never really feels good enough. Have you ever felt like you just weren’t happy with all the things you got done even though it was quite a lot of things? The number of things you accomplish in a day, week, etc is only a piece of the puzzle.

We have allowed this focus on quantity to become connected with our happiness. Do you feel happy at the end of a day when you get 3 things done? Why? If you did not then, why not?  A much larger part of the puzzle of productivity is the importance and meaning of the tasks you complete. We must understand the role of SIGNIFICANCE in our assessment of our productivity. Does it really matter what you are doing? Is it significant to your life, to your work, to the lives of those around you? A critical piece to feeling productive is awareness that you have used your time and energy on things that matter to YOU. You can also imagine a greater sense of happiness when you know you have made meaningful and worthwhile contributions.

When we do not include significance and importance of our accomplishments in our assessment of whether or not we have been productive, we set ourselves up for a sense of disappointment, unhappiness and we miss out. Our happiness and sense of life balance need not be so heavily weighted on productivity that we are in constant overwhelm and fall into the abyss of incessant dissatisfaction. Let us focus less on productivity from a purely quantitative perspective and value SIGNIFICANCE.

People Dimension

There is growing recognition amongst companies to the importance of people skills, understanding that they are essential for a highly focused successful business. Yet in terms of recruitment, the training, measurement and definition of skills required seems still to work on ‘older models’ that rely on more generic ‘soft skill’ descriptors such as: ability to work in a team; good with people; excellent customer service skills and people management skills. 

When I hear people talking about soft skills I wonder exactly what they mean? Are soft skills those abilities – tacit or otherwise that allow an individual to communicate well with others? Do soft skills go further, encompassing empathy, inspiration, adaptability, conflict management and creativity? If this is the case they must, by default, also include multiple intelligences, values, culture and models of the world.

In this business world, are we investing in research, training, and identification of the newer ‘soft’ technologies that will increase our expertise and provide us with an even greater ability to understand client and candidate requirements? Would we service the industry more if we took responsibility for establishing forward thinking by providing our staff and candidates with much needed training and coaching in these very necessary skills? 

It is this myriad of soft skills that underlie and over pin the more measurable ‘hard skills’. As we layer ‘softer’ abilities through the ‘hard’ skills we gain flexibility and adaptability, which in turn leads us to better communicate, test our understanding, lead, facilitate and manage. The holistic nature of both skills set the tone for success and ultimately shapes careers. Successful people encompass a mix of hard and soft skills. 

It is important to develop a propensity for people skills, to study, practice these skills and spend time understanding requirements. As with many areas our investment will be directly proportional to our results. Soft skills are not soft because they are easy – they take time, patience, endurance and skill. 

Leadership & Influencing Dimension

There is no right way, nor is there only one way to influence others. Everything, but everything, is a factor when influencing people.


And we are, all of us, influenced by people, places, events and situations at all times. Sometimes we are affected more or less by these things, but we are continually being influenced by what happens around us.


So what about the specifics in the workplace?

Your job requires you to influence people just about all of the time. It may take the form of gaining support, inspiring others, persuading other people to become your champions, engaging someone's imagination, creating relationships. Whatever form it takes, being an excellent influencer makes your job easier.

An interesting point about people, who use their influencing skills well, is that other people like being around them. There is a kind of exciting buzz, or sense that things happen when they are about.

It's because they don't sit around wishing things were different while moaning there's nothing they can do about it. They don't sit around blaming others nor complaining about what needs fixing that will make things better. They see what needs doing and set about getting it done. Truly excellent influencing skills require a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation and assertiveness techniques.


It is about adapting and modifying your personal style when you become aware of the effect you are having on other people, while still being true to yourself. Behavior and attitude change are what's important, NOT changing who you are or how you feel and think.


You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation. You might even succeed in getting things done; but that isn't really influencing. That's forcing people to do what you want, often against their will. You would not succeed in winning support. Pushing, bullying, bludgeoning or haranguing DO NOT WORK! Like elephants, people will remember the experience.


Indeed, if you force someone to do something you want, without taking their point of view into consideration, then the impression that person is left with is how they will see you forever. You're stuck with it, unless you deliberately change what you do in order to be seen differently. People are far more willing to come halfway (or more) if they feel acknowledged, understood and appreciated. They may even end up doing or agreeing to something they wouldn't previously have done because they feel good about making the choice.


Influencing is about understanding yourself and the effect or impact you have on others. Though it can, on occasion, be one way, the primary relationship is two way, and it is about changing how others perceive you. In other words, the cliché, ‘perception is reality’, makes perfect sense in the context of influencing.


It doesn't matter what's going on internally for you - if it isn't perceived by the other person, then it doesn't exist, other than in your mind. You could be doing the most brilliant presentation you've ever created, but if you haven't brought your 'audience' with you, the brilliance is wasted. And that's about being able to see what's going on for them, which will be different, however much you may have in common.


Influencing can sometimes be looked at as the ability to 'finesse', almost sleight of hand. The other person isn't prodded into seeing your view of the world, but is persuaded, often unconsciously, into understanding it. Sometimes you can get so used to your own personal style or way of being or pattern of communicating, that you don't think of how it is being received, and you don't think of behaving in any other way. Influencing is about being able to move things forward, without pushing, forcing or telling others what to do.


Now what we know is that one of the most powerful forces that affect people's behavior is the avoidance of humiliation. No one wants to embarrass themselves if they can help it. So changing your behavior entails a certain risk. But if that behavior change is deliberate, and you have made an effort to see the world from the other person's point of view, then humiliation can be avoided on both sides.


Whatever the arena you work in influencing others is about having the confidence and willingness to use yourself to make things happen. Influencing people is also the ability to 'work' a dynamic, whether it's a large group, one to one or over the phone. By 'working' the dynamic, I mean using everything at your disposal, both verbal and non-verbal communication, to create the impact you want, rather than letting things just happen.

I have always been intrigued by how easily some people can get others to do what they ask for – be it a tiny favor or an entirely out-of-the-way request. There must be some secret, some basic principles that come into play.

Robert Cialdin, in his book Influence: Science and Practice provided six simple “weapons of influence” that can be evoked to get people to do your bidding:

1) The Law of Reciprocity:
This states that we are obliged to give something back to the person who has given us something first. Marketers make use of this law all the time when they give out “free” samples of their products. They know that there are a good number of people who would buy, just to return the favor.

The law of reciprocity came about mainly as a form of survival mechanism. Human beings had to rely on social exchange to build trust and a community – “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. We’ll both look out for each other”. However, throughout the years, manipulators have learnt to abuse this law. There was a religious group that went about handing strangers flowers and then asking them for a “small donation”. More often than not, the victims are forced to part away with some cash so that they do not break the powerful law of reciprocity.

2) Commitment and Consistency:
Generally, when people commit to an opinion or action, they will usually be consistent and honor the commitment. During World War 2, the Chinese made use of this principle to condition American Prisoners of War (POWs) to view communism as an acceptable form of politics by seemingly harmlessly getting them to write pro-communist opinions and share them verbally with other POWs.

The commitment and consistency principle has been widely used in politics as when voters are asked about their opinions of the candidates before an election. It’s not unusual to find the votes highly consistent with the pre-election commitments. It’s also not difficult to see how pre-framing with a bias towards a particular candidate can work in his favor.

3) Social Proof:
Have you heard of “Monkey Sees, Monkey Does”? What about the herd mentality? Well, essentially they are all the same thing. In social situations, people may be unable to figure out the right mode of behavior. They will thus tend to “follow the crowd”.

Savvy marketers make use of positive experiences of satisfied customers (aka testimonials) to induce prospects to buy their products. You will also see social proof in action in a bar where a man is surrounded by attractive women. Other women will automatically think that he is a high status man and involuntarily feel attracted to him.

4) Liking:
Have you ever noticed that you tend to be easily influenced by people you like? And likability is affected by such characteristics as physical attractiveness, familiarity and similarity. That’s good news, isn’t it?

You can always attend grooming and social etiquette classes to look better and become more attractive to others. The techniques of mirroring, pacing and building rapport in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) help create a sense of familiarity and similarity which accounts for their remarkable effectiveness in getting strangers to open up to you.

5) Authority:
I’m sure you have seen advertisements where an actor dressed in a white coat tells you that a certain product is recommended by doctors or dentists from around the world. Even though you know that he may just be an actor, you are very likely to believe him just because he’s dressed like a doctor/dentist. That is because we tend to respect and listen to authority figures.

6) Scarcity:
The principle of scarcity targets people’s innate fear of loss. Great marketers make full use of scarcity to drive sales all the time. There are at least 2 types of scarcity – Time scarcity and Quantity scarcity.

“Limited Time Offer”, “One Time Offer”, “Sale Ends Today!” and “Offer valid only until midnight” are all examples of time scarcity. They are very effective for getting procrastinators to take action immediately or risk missing the offer.

Quantity scarcity works pretty much in the same way. If you like a shirt or a dress but you are not really sure, you tend to think to yourself, “I can always come back next time”. However, if you find out that it’s the only one left in the store, I can safely bet that you would buy it on the spot!

Execution (Actions/Tasks) Dimension

You may have noticed that when one area of your life is out of harmony or balance that it impacts every other area as well. When you are devoting too much time (and only you know what is too much) to your career, every other aspect of your life is impacted. Every aspect of your life is intricately entwined with every other area. If you choose to devote no time to your personal growth, you will lack skill, understanding or wisdom that could contribute positively to some other aspect of your life. By the same token, if you spend time regularly relaxing or meditating, it could help you find the patience or calmness that you will bring to your career or family issues.

How do you manage family commitments while enhancing your career and dealing with all this increased clutter? Well, most people are aware of their tendency to overload on work or information but simply don't know what to do to get their life back to a healthy balance. Being successful isn't only about your career and your possessions, it's about waking up every day and feeling good about the person you are and the life that you have created.

Many people are searching for ways to achieve positive and lasting change both in and out of work. The reality is many people are now living out someone else's life dreams without leaving the comfort of their own living room. Why renovate your house or makeover your garden, when you can fantasize and watch someone else does it on TV for you? Most people spend more time watching TV than taking time to create positive changes in their lives.

Life is not a rehearsal so why not step up and make a difference?

Individual uplift comes with the right value systems that we incorporate within ourselves, enabling us to relate positively with the rest of the world.

To remain active is one of the basic values a person must inculcate within himself. Activity generates energy within us. It is the insignia of life. Those who give in to inertia vegetate and ultimately lead themselves to destruction. Having initiated action one must give it a proper direction. Activity without purpose is unproductive. One must set an ideal in life and the higher the ideal, the greater the energy generated. Actions dedicated to higher ideals are satisfying, entertaining and rewarding.

But actions undertaken with selfish motives become monotonous and cause fatigue. Look forward to Monday mornings instead of Friday evenings. Human dignity is hinged on pursuing noble ideals in life. Such a life becomes purposeful and meaningful.

Objectivity is an important quality that must go along with activity. It is the capacity to remain impersonal and detached in whatever one does and not allowing oneself to be mixed up with the results of action. True happiness does not lie in results achieved or not achieved but in performance of actions that ought to be done. ''Why have motives?'' when action itself is most enriching, rewarding and ennobling. 'Your life is enriched by the accomplishment of right action rather than the outward success or failure'. Having set a pattern of life one ought to perform actions surrendering to the plan of nature.  Action burdened by the craving of fruits loses its effectiveness. A batsman obsessed with hitting a home run is likely to make a series of mistakes that prevent him from realizing his goal. The right approach is to concentrate on the action and dismiss the thought of the fruit from the mind. Then actions lead to success and ensure peace of mind.

Objectivity is maintained by the supervision of the intellect over the mind. Actions can emanate from the intellect or the mind or a combination of both. The mind functions on mere emotions, likes and dislikes; such impulsive action can spell disaster for the individual. When our intellect chooses action, it is based on reason and judgment, even as emotions support it. Such actions help us in achieving our ideals in life.

Self-control is another important value. Our senses gravitate towards sensing the objects for fulfillment all the time. Unregulated, the senses overtake and destroy our discrimination, taking us away from our set objectives. Sense pleasures are fleeting and temporary. Indiscriminate contact leads to diminishing value in terms of happiness while making us dependent upon the external objects. Self-control is neither denial nor unintelligent contact with the world. It is being a master rather than a slave to the senses.

Gratitude stands out as the foremost of individual qualities. From the moment one is born one is indebted to the world. We are given food and drink, air and light, temperature and right pressure. A sense of gratitude must be cultivated. The more we develop the attitude of giving the more we gain in life both in terms of happiness and prosperity. The way to gain something is to give it away.

This is evident in nature as well. Light consists of seven colors. When an object is bathed in light it absorbs certain colors and reflects back the others. The object actually gains the color of that which it gives away. A blue object appears so because it absorbs all colors, giving back the blue. So also in life, we are parted from that which we cling to and gain that towards which we maintain a spirit of dispassion. A value-conscious person maintains an inner cheer. His actions are dynamic and beneficial to all.

Next week, let’s take a look at the Inner Life and discuss how one can balance the three dimensions that comprise the inner life as a means to harmonizing their life and achieving inner peace spiritually.

In the meantime, I welcome you to share your Self-awareness story in the comments section below on this blog and I promise to read your story.