Without desire we cannot exist. Even those who say they are desireless have a desire to remain so. Our desires change as we progress in life. We must have a desire for greatness, for only then will our deeds become great and our achievements too.
In the pyramid of hierarchy, most people are busy spending their time satisfying their physiological needs for food, shelter, and comfort. Those who are satisfied on a physiological level strive to meet their mental needs by seeking a sense of security in life and planning for the future. (Shutterstock) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
We are not one-dimensional personalities, and neither are our needs. Yoga means connecting to higher possibilities in life. When we do this, our presence of mind increases, leading to mindful living. Our priorities shift from individual desires to the needs of others.
In the pyramid of hierarchy, most people are busy spending their time satisfying their physiological needs for food, shelter, and comfort. Those who are satisfied on a physiological level strive to meet their mental needs by seeking a sense of security in life and planning for the future.
When mental needs are met, people meet their emotional needs by associating with others in the name of hobbies, religion, language, or country. Once this is achieved, they want to present themselves well or impress others to satisfy their ego.
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Life becomes a burden for those who only want to play the game on the physiological, mental, emotional and ego levels. They end up hauling an imaginary burden, resulting in a lackluster life of stress and anxiety with no joy.
Artificial intelligence aims to help human society learn from experiences and project them into the future to minimize errors. Repetitive work can be replaced by machines to improve output quality. But when it comes to life, humans lead a stereotypical life, prolonging their days and making the same mistakes as their ancestors. Everyone from doormen to CEOs avoids correcting the course of life in the name of lack of time or overwork.
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The best never comes out for those who complain that they don’t have time. Anyone who complains that they are doing a job just to make money is gambling away their lives. In the Bhagavad Gita, Shri Krishna says that those who lead life in the first four planes of consciousness of the physiological, mental, emotional and ego plane forget the higher possibilities and have a miserable existence.
Durena hy-avaram karma buddhi-yogad Dhananjaya buddhau sharanam anvichchha kripanah phala-hetavah (Gita, 2.49)
Take refuge in divine knowledge and discernment, O Dhananjay, and discard reward-seeking actions far inferior to the works done by the intellect grounded in divine knowledge. Stingy and wretched are those who seek to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
The actions we take on the first four planes of our existence are done out of compulsion, which leads to attachment, misery, and other effects. We need to discover freedom in our work, not freedom from work. This is possible when we transcend to the next level of consciousness, where our actions become expressions of joy.
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Our body and mind are there to support our soul and not the other way around. When the soul is realized, one becomes a genius and plays a natural game. Then life is no longer sluggish and there is no stress, fear or sadness.
In the Gita, Shri Krishna speaks about one who has gone beyond the first four catches of life: Yas tvatma-ratir eva syad atma-triptash cha manavah atmanyeva cha santushtas tasya karyam na vidyate (3.17)
But for those who enjoy Self, who are enlightened and perfectly content with Self, there is no duty for them.
For a self-realized person, action no longer binds. Such an inspired person acts only to inspire others to celebrate their lives by moving to the fifth level of consciousness.
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Artificial intelligence limits our actions to the first four levels of consciousness, while our natural intelligence elevates the game of our lives to the fifth level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ-q0UACiOk
The author is the Melbourne based founder of Vasudeva Kriya Yoga.
