Mystic Mantra: Rediscovering our unity

If we look at any objects in nature or some items made by human hands, we may find there is a beauty, symmetry and wholeness in their form. Whenever any object breaks, it becomes fragmented and disjointed. We feel agitated when something breaks, and we want to either discard it or piece it back together. When anything we admire is shattered to pieces, the peace of the atmosphere and our peace of mind are disturbed.

We find that we have within us an innate sense of oneness and unity. This does not only extend to objects, but to human relations. We crave for unity in our family, among our friends, within our sports team, and within our community and country. There is peace and contentment when a mother holds her child. There is love and joy when lover and beloved meet. There is a sense of understanding and happiness when two friends sit together. When this oneness is lacking, there is a sense of disharmony.

Unity is a condition which underlies God’s creation. The peace we feel in unity is a reflection of our true state existence. It is a state in which there is only one. That original unity is God himself. There was no division, no separation and no duality. He was a formless ocean of all consciousness, bliss and light. There was no caste, no religion and no nationality. It was only when God decided to express himself and bring creation into being that unity became duality. What was one became many.

As part of his divine creative plan, parts of him were separated and sent to inhabit these worlds. These particles of his essence are called souls. They carried with them all the qualities of God: consciousness, bliss and light. When they were sent to the various worlds, they were environed by outer bodies made of the material of the plane in which they resided. In the purely spiritual realms, they were all spirit. As they descended to regions made of matter, they were covered by layers of that same matter. Thus, on this physical plane, they reside in physical bodies. Over aeons of time, the soul became identified with the body and the region it inhabited. It has, unfortunately, forgotten its true identity as soul.

When we examine our day-to-day life, we may question how it is possible to realise our true self and God. So many years of our life have already passed and we have not gained any such awareness. Like any field of learning, we need to have proper education, an experienced teacher and the right technique. Spiritual knowledge of our soul and God is available to each of us. It has been accessible to people in all times. There are many fortunate people who have discovered the unity and peace within themselves. Having found their true selves and the creator, they are often moved to share their experience with their fellow beings. The bliss they enjoy is so great they want everyone else to experience it as well. These compassionate souls are known by us as saints, mystics, prophets or spiritual teachers. They want to eliminate the suffering in this world caused by ignorance of our true nature.

They all used a method of inversion to find their true selves. In various scriptures they may refer to this as prayer, contemplation, worship or meditation. Whatever it is called, the process is the same. We must concentrate our attention within us. When great saints and mystics came to this world, they taught this technique to their disciples. Unfortunately, after they left the world, their original instructions, which were usually passed on by word of mouth secretly to their disciples, were lost. Thus, all we are left with are the outer rites and rituals, which we follow at our various churches, temples and other places of worship. We are fortunate that in modern times we have access to meditation instructions. These instructions are available to humanity at large and hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from them. Through meditation we can tap into the fount of bliss, light and joy within us and return to our original state of unity with God.