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Fortunate indeed is he, who
acknowledges, identifies and analyses not merely his past mistakes but also
those specific issues which call for change within! He thus views, in the
spirit of a detached but sharpwitness (sakshi bhava), all aspects concerning
himself to set right these aberrations.
An
age old Upanishad prayer (Brihadaranyaka- 1:3, 28) runs: "Lead me from the
unreal to the real, from darkness to light and from stagnation to eternal
life," This presupposes the fair admission that one is yet distracted by
illusions, that one is floundering and also that one is far from being truly
dynamic. The starting point of the path to self-improvement through inner
cleansing is this frank admission and acceptance and an abiding urge to
improve matters. It is during this opening of the inner eye, in adoration of
the sublime virtues of life, that the seeker conceives of the inspired
message of this Sanskrit thanksgiving prayer: "I bow to that Guru, who with
the instrument of knowledge, opened my eyes, thus far blinded by the
arrogance of ignorance."
Real change not merely
cleanses the toxins, aberrations and the retarding forces within, in the
form of wrong thinking, feeling or acting. This process also confers an
intuitive eye which serves to identify other aberrations and retarding
aspects without too---in the form of harmful distractions, relationships,
pursuits, ineffectiveness, etc. This naturally also confers the power of
obtaining the needed wherewithal to bypass or eliminate these. This process
therefore is the forerunner to obtaining freedom from all the retarding
forces--the enemies within and those without.
As all situations, developments, relationships
and aspects concerning the person are mirrors of this state (the atman)
within, this process of inner purification and empowerment (atmasuddhi)
obtains positive reorientation, readjustment and realignment of those issues
which concern the seeker-- the practical working concept of "inner and outer
winner" of Swami Sukhabodhananda or that of "Inside Out" of Stephen Covey.
Such changes in all aspects without also serve to further purify and empower
the inner spirit and personality (the atman). This serves further to shape
one's situations, circumstances and thus eventually one's destiny.
This cycle is thus a virtuous
one-- the natural fall out of real change within. This also indeed is the
success story scripted by the evolved self, radiating cheer
and joy to all around too! |
