Teacher Training Manual: Lesson 02 - 3 Worlds

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, the students would have ;

Affirmed & established their true identity, Deepened the experience of the true nature of the soul Understood the relationships between the Mind, Intellect and Sanskars and how this knowledge helps them in managing their life. Explored the three levels of consciousness and experienced the process of traveling to these worlds by using the vehicle of thought.

CONTENT

Faculties of Soul

• MIND: faculty of creation, where you create all your thoughts, which then stimulates certain feelings, desires.
• INTELLECT: faculty of discrimination and decision-making, which you use to assess right from wrong, good from bad and then make a decision.
• SUB-CONSCIOUS MIND (Sanskars): the impressions made on the soul by any action you do.

How These Three Faculties Work. Conclusion About Process of the Self.

Raja Yoga Meditation: Process of Activating Higher Emotions.

Summary of Soul Consciousness and body Consciousness.

Three Worlds or Levels of Consciousness

The soul (consciousness) has the ability to inhabit and be aware of the three worlds (levels of consciousness).

1. The Physical World (Corporeal) World - a world we experience through our physical senses; a world in which we directly relate & interact with other embodied souls

2. The Subtle World - beyond the physical world; sometimes referred to as the astral plane; or angelic world; a world where there is purity of thought; a world of light and movement, but no sound; the light is therefore not visible to the physical eye. In our meditation our aim is to leave the physical world behind for a little while, and turn our attention inward to re discover this subtle world through pure thought.

3. The Soul World (Incorporeal World) - Beyond the physical world of constant change, constant noise, constant movement; beyond the subtle world of pure thought, there is a dimension of complete silence and stillness, where nothing changes and time has no reference. This is the soul world, or the home of all souls, from where each one of us has come, and will eventually return.

PROCEDURE

Start with 5-minute meditation with commentary. Use any of the suggested commentaries for Lesson 1.

Review the 1st session but ask the main concepts they have learned, which they are applying. Check also for some questions they may have about the previous lesson.

Answer questions related to previous lesson and questions, which will be answered by other lessons, should be addressed later.

Introduce the faculties of the soul

"The human body consists of many organs and limbs to move around and exist in the physical world. So too, the soul has the subtle faculties of thinking power (mind), reasoning power (intellect) and its own unique personality to negotiate the inner world of thoughts, feelings, decisions and habits. The understanding of these subtle abilities or powers and how they work and interact helps me immensely in managing my personal world. The soul expresses itself through the mind, the intellect and the sanskars. We will use the original Hindi word to mean the subconscious and unconscious impressions that form the basis of the personality." Show the Anatomy of Consciousness. Start explaining the importance of each.

" If I want to change my life, I need to change my actions, for which I have to alter my thinking. To do that I need to know just how and why thoughts arise."

• Mind: The soul uses the mind as a screen or field on which it projects thoughts, sensations, images and ideas. According to the impact that they cause, an experience, feeling or emotion is created. For example, if I think 'orange', immediately the familiar round and golden yellow image of an orange appears on the mental screen together with, perhaps, the sensation of its taste or texture. If I remember something abstract like my colleague's irresponsibility, it brings with it a feeling of negativity, perhaps related to something I haven't quite worked out myself.

Basically what happens is that the mind has the amazing capacity to take on the form of whatever it is thinking about at any one moment and extract a feeling of the quality that comes with the form. Nothing could be a greater incentive towards positive thinking than this simple fact. If I want to feel good, I have to have the types of thoughts that bring the quality of goodness. The mind is unfortunately subject to the whims and inconsistencies of the intellect just as the force of gravity pulls the tides to whatever the side of the world the moon happens to be on, the tides of the mind and its moods. Wherever the intellect roams, the mind automatically follows, producing all of its essential functions.

• Intellect: As the ruler of the inner state, the intellect is the principal faculty of the self. While a powerful and benign ruler is of immense benefit to any country, a weak and confused leader is manipulated and over-ruled by clever subjects. The feeble and weak intellect surrenders itself to two worlds: the external world of the senses and their objects, and the internal world of thoughts, feelings and personality traits. If I want peace, then I need an intellect that can create and decide on the types of thought patterns and actions that lead to peace. In the same way, the peace-provoking sanskars can be reinforced and brought to the surface so that they are the ones that come into the mind. Thus the intellect plays its role of doorkeeper. It allows or refuses entry into the process according to its own set of rules and perceptions. Through meditation the accuracy of this role is heightened so that positive qualities are permitted entry and continuity while negative ones are weakened and transformed.

The intellect can really be strengthened for this vital purpose through meditation and vigilance. I can know, for example, that to become irritated is detrimental to my life. Even so, when I am faced by the person who has been a traditional trigger for my irritation and once again he is doing exactly that action which I find so annoying, then all theory is of no use. At that moment I need power not to get irritated. Meditation will give me that power. The strength or weakness of an individual is connected with the intellect. It's important to note that an individual can have an intellect that functions perfectly well without necessarily being an intellectual.

• Sanskars: The soul is the seed which contains within itself not only the faculties of thinking and deciding but also has specific configuration. The soul's configuration is based on what are known as personality traits. A more accurate description would be the imprints that are the basis of the personality. It largely resembles what is called in the West subconscious mind, though it also includes the unconscious as well.

When I am in bed at night just before going off to sleep, images of all shapes, forms and color pour onto the screen of the mind one after the other. Of course, it's not only when I am dreaming that the sanskars come into play. The raw materials for all thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions also arise from the sanskars. In the analogy of images projected on a screen, the sanskars would be the archives of all previously recorded experiences. Every single action that I perform leaves its mark in the soul itself as a sanskar. The tendency of the sanskars to self-organize means, that they group themselves according to quality and function. The quality of a person, described by such adjectives as good, evil, happy-natured, boring, arrogant, altruistic and so on, is basically related to his or her sanskars.

How these three faculties work together

The three aspects of the self work together in a precise and integrated manner. Each faculty affects both the others. Functioning jointly they produce what can be termed as the state of consciousness. Looking at the flow in a clockwise direction, we can see how from the sanskars a thought arises in the mind, which is processed by the intellect. The intellect decides whether to carry it into action or not through the body. If the decision is to act, the experience of the action is recorded in the soul as a sanskar.

The dynamics of the inner self

In this way old sanskars (those that are already there) are modified, strengthened or weakened according to the actions performed. In the case in which a thought is not carried out into action, it is simply tossed back into the pool of sanskars for future consideration, if necessary.

Conclusions from understanding the process of the self

• The intellect has a crucial role in guiding and transforming the self.
• I cannot escape the effects of whatever I do.
• I have within me both the sources of any suffering I may go through as well as the solution to it.
• The positive qualities, which are in me as sanskars can only be brought to the surface of the conscious mind through intervention of the intellect.

RAJA YOGA MEDITATION

Process of Activating Higher Emotions

Raja Yoga gives the intellect the power to select those positive sanskars, which lead to the higher emotions, calm and clear thoughts and the pure desire to enjoy life in such a way that no sorrow is experience for the self and no sorrow is given to others.

Meditation steps: In the initial steps of meditation, I call to mind and experience original sanskars, which in most people surface only occasionally. They are deeper than the superficial memories of worldly experiences. These are pure and powerful sanskars related to the eternal nature of the soul. Since the soul is not a material energy, but is a metaphysical energy separate from the body, the dualities of the material world do not relate to the deep, inner nature of the soul.

Consciousness has the same property as light, the powerful force with distinct qualities of the soul: peace, purity, power, etc. When these original sanskars are experienced, love and happiness are also experienced automatically. After some practice, I can have the intellectual power to activate these sanskars consciously in daily life at any time. In a situation which would lead most people to experience negative moods or emotions such as fear, depression, anxiety, boredom, fatigue, hatred or aggression, I can become detached and access my innate qualities. This, of course, is beneficial not only for me but for others around me.

Though emptying the mind may bring temporary relief, it's not a natural part of living to have no thoughts. Instead, the mind has to be trained to create the types of thoughts that lead to harmony. Thus, each session of Raja Yoga meditation can be seen as one of thought-training in a similar way to a tennis player who, seeking proficiency, practices his/her serve, back-hand, and volley in order to improve them.

Meditation is the journey towards soul consciousness and God consciousness guided by the use of the thoughts created in the mind and the deep and inner memory of the original and innate state of being. I first have to withdraw my attention from all outer circumstances and direct it within towards inner dialogue.

I consider and experience as intimately as possible thoughts related to the real nature of the self, its role and relationship with the Supreme Being. All such thoughts carry a distinctly positive vibration and lead me to fulfillment.

Soul Consciousness and Body Consciousness

Before moving on to the topic on the three worlds, summarize the lesson by explaining the difference between soul consciousness and body consciousness. Use OHP transparencies (or chart) to show clearly the distinction. These two terms need to be clarified and understood because they will be often used in the succeeding lessons.

Soul Consciousness	Body Consciousness
When your identity is based on your true form a point of eternal, spiritual light - soul	When your identity is based on your physical appearance, possessions, position or people
You feel comfortable no matter what happens	You feel anxious and up-tight
Your heart is open and loving	You are motivated by short-term desires
You love yourself	You criticize and find fault with everyone
Your confidence and self respect soars	Your happiness doesn't last
Your life is meaningful	You have judgmental attitude
You understand the scheme of things	You have low self-esteem and a lot of ego
You attract beauty	You become defensive
You understand your story	You constantly seek approval
Peace is your religion, you are motivated by wisdom	You are dependent on physical support and systems
You are not afraid of death	You are afraid of dying
You respect your body and treat it well	You have no control over your sense organs
Your inside matches your outside	You are disturbed by feelings of attraction to the physical beauty of bodies
No human being is your enemy, patience and contentment accompany you	You see a distorted past and have no clear aim for the future