What is it that belongs to
Higher or Lower Nature? Do we dare classify human experiences as good or bad? Isn’t
everything acceptable today? We are urged to accept things as “normal”… But if
we’re smart, we do think about it. But much confusion reigns. If we’re
sensitive and listen to certain things, we seem to be threatened with
extinction as a species, what with nuclear disasters, climate change, overpopulation
or whatever happens to be in the news. But the person intent on Self-Awareness
will pay little attention to these matters and will only seek development of his
or her own reality, as a means to correct the misbehaviour of the world.
Misbehaviour, because there is something higher or lower. Anything that
belongs to lower nature has to drop away for evolution. Anything that pertains
to Higher Nature must be nurtured and promoted. It’s easy. Except that we don’t
always agree on which is higher and which is lower. Six thousand years ago, the
Vedantists knew. Today, there is no excuse, we can also know. But the mass of
unknowing is very powerful, and modern media can only convey what the “average
man or woman” is expected to understand. It’s a tragedy, but it’s an
unconscious process: whatever does not evolve and progress, involves and
degenerates. But our Self-Awareness process is the other way around:
whatever does not promote self-awareness is “bad”, whatever does is “good”. And
therefore, life becomes simple. With Self-Awareness and living in the
Now, lower nature is seen but not reacted to (as far as possible). You may be
wondering, but here are some examples of lower nature, in legalese, including
but not limited to: fear,
cheating, hypocrisy, untruth, uncleanliness, attachment, likes and dislikes,
desires and aversions, envy, jealousy, conflict, separation, guilt,
self-condemnation, blame, ignorance, laziness, distraction, miserliness,
uncaringness, impulsiveness, lack of spontaneity, indulgence, lack of
alertness, lack of discrimination, lack of studiousness, lack of effort, lack
of self-discipline, excesses, crookedness, deceit, lying, hurtful truths,
non-alignment of though-word-deed, selfishness, harm, injury, violence, anger
and wrath (which beget eight kinds of vices: rashness, injustice, persecution,
jealousy, taking possession of others’ property, harsh words, cruelty and
killing), aggression, lack of self-restraint, impatience, intranquillity,
maliciousness, fault-finding, backbiting, complaining, narrow-mindedness,
conceit, pride, prejudice, greed, self-mortification, harshness, ill-wishing,
lack of modesty or shame, useless activities, fickleness, nervousness,
fidgeting, lack of energy, intolerance, lack of forgiveness, lack of
forbearance, lack of endurance, deception, lust, resentment, malice, ill-will, overweening pride,
egoism, self-centredness. And then
go back and start again, with all the variants of these! More again soon…
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