AWARENESS

Excerpt from my latest essay. © 2015 DL Bhakti Brophy

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JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: Raja Yoga: WITNESS EXPERIMENT

Last night, after meditation and while in a state of blissful expansion, I got on Twitter to see if I could engage with a fellow Tweeter who's political views are diametrically opposed to my own without losing my center, the state of expansiveness . His tweets are filled with hatred, and most of what he tweets as fact is simply not true.

Because I was in a state of expansion, I was able to Witness what I was doing while I was doing it. In other words, I wasn't merely reacting to this man's hate-filled tweets, I was watching my every move: metacognition, thinking about my thinking. (I've written about metacognitin many times in the past, please scroll through the archives for more info.)

The reason I did this experiment was because I normally get heated and quite charged when dealing with this kind of person--someone who spews hatred and lies regarding politics and offers no positive solutions.

It bothers me that people buy into so much of the propaganda we call the news. I'm mystified that people cannot intuitively tell right from wrong. (One of the most difficult things to navigate when one is "awake" is recognizing and remembering that others are still bound; compassion is key. After all, ignorance literally means "not knowing".)

My experiment was all about seeing if I could tweet about politics without  losing the state of expansion and, also, discover how defending my view of U.S. politics affects my mood.

What I discovered was that it was totally futile, and perhaps self righteous--even though the tweets were from my heart!-- to try and talk sense into this man. His tweets do affect my livelihood in a roundabout way because he's against helping the sick and elderly, however, everyone is entitled to his or her opinions. 

I also discovered that replying to this man's tweets slowly morphed my state of expansiveness into a state of constriction: from liberation back to Maya, from freedom to the feeling of being stuck.

One of the most important things I learned was 
that countering this man's political views on my Twitter feed offered nothing enlightening to my readers. How could it if the tweets were being offered from a state of constriction? I wasn't so much stating my opinions as I was countering this man's, and that's why I began to lose my center. My reaction to his tweets created the conflict. It's none of my business what he thinks.

Ultimately, I learned that I don't lose my center when discussing politics, but when I get defensive and feel a need to counter with my own point of view. This simply creates more drama, and after 26 years of studying and practicing on the spiritual path, that's the last  thing I'm chasing!

My conclusion to this experiment: 

The only way I can affect a change in this world is to keep an eye on my mood and do whatever needs to be done to cultivate the state of expansiveness.

I will continue to offer wisdom that creates a state of peace and bliss. That's one thing I can do from the confines of my room (virtually bedridden due to spinal injury and spinal diseases).

It is my wish and prayer that everyone, everywhere, experience this level of satchittananda (existence, consciousness, and bliss absolute) in his or her lifetime.

Hari Om Tat Sat!


©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy