Meditation
is mind management. It is remembering who we are and observing the
relationship
with the mind and its activities and finding a way to manage and
integrate
that. – Swami Shankardevananda Saraswati
We
are beginning to understand that evolution is an integral phenomenon. It is not just a biological process, but also
an evolution of society, technology, thought and awareness. Biological evolution has given us these
body/mind vehicles through which we, as beings of consciousness experience
life. Due to the capacities of our
brains we have further developed increasingly complex social structures, as
well as, medical, social, information, entertainment and military
technologies.
Do
you remember the dark ages before the internet, cell phones, military
drones? It is amazing how the rate of
change in our world has accelerated in recent times. These technological developments have both
positive and negative impacts. Surgical
procedures are improving constantly improving our quality of life. On the other hand more and more children are
developing health problems related to a sedentary lifestyle where they sit for
hours playing video games. Agricultural
science has sought to find new ways to feed our expanding species population
but has also has detrimental effects on our health through the use of chemical
pesticides and fertilizers, genetically-modified plants, etc. Our technological progress over the last
century has left us with serious consequences in terms of pollution,
overpopulation, resources depletion, and the threat of nuclear destruction. There is hope however that we can learn from
and correct these imbalances as we continue to evolve both in terms of
increased technological sophistication and inwardly in terms of spiritual or
consciousness evolution.
Consciousness
evolution is about expanding our awareness and our sense of self beginning from
our ego-centric survival concerns. As
consciousness develops it moves through stages from ego-centric to
universe-centric. As Peter Merry writes,
“Each emerging stage – from ego-centric to ethno-centric to world-centric to
universe-centric – transcends and includes the previous ones, thus widening its
awareness and embrace, identifying with ever more of the universe, and
therefore able to feel compassion for an ever expanding circle of life.” (2009,
Evolutionary Leadership) It is through
this evolution of consciousness that we will be able to survive on this
planet.
On
the surface we believe ourselves to be individual selves out to achieve our own
needs and desires, on a deeper level we are all interconnected, not just with
one another but with the planet and the universe as a whole. As Albert Einstein famously put it, “A human
being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and
space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated
from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion
is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to
affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves
from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Does
our technology help us to expand consciousness?
If we are fixated on media consumption, it is apparent that it does
not. Instead it keeps us locked in
narrow concerns, fears and an obsessive need for electronic stimulation. On the other hand we see some of the social
media helping to promote cross-cultural friendships and familiarity. People often complain about the low level of
commentary on Facebook, however, I am continually in contact with friends who
are maintaining positive attitudes, posting relevant information and concerned
with spirituality. Our inner
consciousness determines how and why we use our technology. Do we use it, or do we let it distract and
manipulate us?
Yoga
meditation is an inner technology. It is
a means of becoming aware of our own unconscious mental constructs and seeing
beyond them. Ultimately it is a means of
going beyond thought into stillness and silence where we are attuned to the
infinite. It enables us to engage with
the evolutionary energy of the universe, called kundalini within the yoga
tradition. By awakening to this energy
within us we can accelerate our own consciousness evolution. It seems crucial that we utilize inner
technologies along with the development of outer.
In
Tantric terms the energy of evolution within the universe is called Shakti and
is seen as the Divine Feminine aspect of creation. The deep universal consciousness is known as
Shiva, the Divine Masculine. Evolution
proceeds harmoniously when these two are in balance, when the outer corresponds
to the inner. The whole process of
evolution is the reunification of consciousness and energy, Shiva and
Shakti. This is the process of awakening
and liberation. God lives in and through
us. We are the universal process of evolution.
