Mental Wellness
Most people are familiar with a mental disease called multiple personality disorder. It is a state in which several different identities can come to life within one human body. The same body may indentify itself as John, Carl, Sue, Anne or Chris depending upon which identity inhabits the body at the present moment. And every identity is distinct; one may love ice cream while another hates it; one may be afraid of snakes while another keeps a pet boa constrictor. But where does this disorder come from?
According to yogic philosophy, everyone expresses features of this disorder, but the person who is classified as MPD has actually divided upon the difference voices within their head, giving them totally separate identities. For most of us the multiple identities are grouped under one header: I. But this I does not have one set of beliefs, values, or perceptions; one moment this I may be anger at someone one minute and in love with them one minute later; this I may crave chocolate one instance and then despise it the next; and this I is often in opposition to the I that is there the next day. If I is a consistant personality, than for most thee I is not one I but many, a constant cycling of thoughts, ideas, belief, and values which often flow in contradictory directions.
Spirituality is about distinguishing these various identities and beginning to understand how they are operating within our lives and how they ultimately affect the quality of our experience of life. Mental wellness is about resonating with the thoughts and ideas that bring harmony and balance into our lives and understanding those which are bring chaos and disorder so that we can transform them. Every single thought, though stimulated from the outer world, has its greatest impact on you! Very negative thoughts are going to hurt you more than anyone else just as very positive and loving thoughts will strengthen you.
There is a story in Zen Buddhism about a monk who obtained self realization while floating in a boat. When he was a child, this monk would take a boat out onto the river every day, basking in the peace and solitude of the river which was large, calm, and immersed in nature. One evening the monk was lying in on the floor of his boat when suddenly another boat collided into his. He began to feel rage within him, angered by the fact that someone has rammed into his boat even though the river was so large and moved so slowly. As the monk arose to shout at the other boat man he realized that the boat was empty. It was simply a boat floating through the river current that happened to collide with his boat. Then suddenly he had no place to send his anger and instead it turned inwards. And when this anger was turned inwards it returned the monk to his very center, and the energy that was once anger was transformed into light, a light which brought enlightenment to the monk at that very moment. He had realized that the source was at his center: everything came from within!
And so the mind is constantly projecting thoughts, feeling, ideas, and reactions into the world, but when we discover that the source or our total experience is internal we can than begin to transform the mental operations so that our spiritual light is enriched with the awareness of the Truth!
We must learn to stop entertaining all the different personalities that are within us and begin to concentrate upon the essence of our being. Life will always present opportunities for suffering, pain, and anger, but it is up to us how these experiences affect us. A negative though projected outwards is a continuation of the negative thought patterns which disconnect us from the origins. Turn the negative thought back unto itself and allow it to be transformed into something different, something that is harmonized with the spiritual truth of reality. And the same is true for positive emotions also. See that although the outer world may create your happiness and feelings of love these all come from within you. And when you awaken to the truth that all subjective experiences come from within you, and then you can connect fully to every experience with an awareness of the divine presences.
Spirituality is about moving away from the independent I and into the universal-self. Use the tools of human nature to awaken your inner potential. Go beyond the I identity and open yourself to the universe that you are eternally connected to. Feel the bliss of life! This is yoga.
