Inner
Reconciliation - the Psychological Approach
By Einar Adalsteinsson.
Copyright: Einar Adalsteinsson.
On the thorny road to spiritual awakening it has
been stated that the pupil is crucified between the poles of two opposite
forces, so to speak. On the one hand he has to fight his way up from below
in his search for the spiritual goal, but no matter how much conscious
effort he puts into it, it will never take him all the way to the goal,
because the goal itself is inaccessible and beyond human effort.
On the other hand there is still the hope for
Divine Grace, the mystical help from above, also beyond every effort -
beyond even the subtlest of conscious hope - which sweeps out the mansions
of the soul, when seeing fit to enter the human psyche. But until that
effective broom manifests itself from heaven, we have to take care of the
psychological cleaning ourselves, being aware that the mystical experience
is unlikely to enter our humble house, while we have not cleaned at least
the grossest heaps of mental and emotional garbage that have been heaped up
in the subconscious during lifetimes. The purpose of this article is to
encounter some of the points that may help us in the inner springtime
cleaning.
We are here speaking of the psyche of an ordinary
human being, about to enter the inner road towards mystical unity. Most of
us are entangled in the outer world, which in many cases seems utterly
trying and demanding. But we all have some vague experience of another world,
our own inner world, although rather hazy about its nature and its relation
to the outer world.
Because of the overwhelming demands of the outer
environment on our life, along with our upbringing, which almost entirely
refers to the outer problems of life, we are accustomed to use methods from
the material world on the problems of our inner world, with rather
questionable results. This can be clearly seen if one looks at the average
person's problems today. There are however individuals - and always have
been - who have discovered and understood the rules and laws that govern the
inner domain, and have learned to make use of this knowledge for inner
revolution towards a happier and fuller life, happiness that never fades and
fulfillment that is untouched by outer circumstances. Let us go forward few
a steps into the workshop of those wizards of life and see if we can learn
something about the art of living.
As mentioned, there are different laws governing
the inner world from those that we are accustomed to use in the outer world
of things. This is the first important message we get from those wise men.
Example: To change the outer realm of things, we
have to use energy and willpower. If we try to use that same willpower to
force an inner change, the result will be inner struggle, inner disharmony
and stress.
Example: To install order in the outer world,
thought, reasoning, comparison and planning is need. If the same methods are
applied to the inner world the result will be only contradiction, fear and
disappointment.
Example: Few would think of applying love when
building an engine or digging a ditch. The wise tell us that in the inner
world love will work miracles, which influence can even reach distant
galaxies.
Example: The outer world is governed by the laws
of time and space, where all things are composite and interact on each other
in time and space. The inner world has neither time nor space. There is only
one, undivided wholeness, where events take place spontaneously moment by
moment, without linear interaction.
The basic element of these "inner" views is found
in the statement of the unity of the inner reality. This unity
displays itself in the mystical experience as a living fact. But one can
easily incorporate it in one's life and prove its value at home. Some people
may think that these ideas contain only unfounded statements, but to my mind
the inner view of oneness is fully compliant with human reasoning, although
the Unity itself is outside and beyond any reason.
When we come to the practical methods for the inner
tidying we have to choose a model of thought to work with. There are
numerous models available in the vast flora of spiritual practices, each of
which are useful at different stages and conditions, but of which none are
universal or perfect. In fact the spiritual seeker must always bear in mind
the fact, that all ideas of reality are wrong or incorrect, and he should
consider them simply as a tool for escaping the illusion.
The model employed here is taken partly from the
psychology of the subconscious, partly from ancient and modern mysticism and
partly from the teachings of contemporary mystics like Krishnamurti.
Here are some main propositions of this model.
1) Consciousness is the basis of reality as
well as the basic element of every human. Consciousness is one, but
manifests as separate centers of self in "individuals" of the world.
2) Consciousness operates in layers or fields,
showing increased separateness with each outer layer (towards form and
matter). Ultimately there is still only one consciousness.
3) The consciousness of man is divided into a)
ordinary awake consciousness, b) subconscious state and c) an unified
state of consciousness. The awake and the subconscious states of a person
contain his or her individuality, including the persons karma.
4) Every outer form - the entire manifested
universe - has its ground in the undivided consciousness and manifests in
time and space through the awake and subconscious state of the individuals.
5) Every incident is a part of absolute order
and contains an universal meaning. There is no such thing as chance.
6) The collected karma of each individual is
located in his or her subconscious, and manifests to the daily
consciousness as outer events of time and space.
7) The outer world and the inner world are two
manifestations of the same reality. Everything out there is also present
within.
8) Relationships between individuals are
always in perfect harmony at the innermost realms of the universe, no
matter how irreconcilable they seem in the outer world. This absolute
reconciliation of the inner realms is called love in the outer world.
These are some of the "views" of the mystical and
esoteric insight, but once again we must point out that they are only
opinions, a description of reality, and will never be anything but
incomplete reflection of the ultimate reality that can only be experienced
in the highest of mystical enlightenment.
The value that this world-view has beyond the
ordinary views of our present civilization, lies in its compatibility to the
complicated pattern of the human soul, and is therefore more useful for the
tidying of the human psyche. Let us take a closer view into the practical
use of the spiritual world view in the daily life.
We have mentioned the will and the inner
psychological struggle. It is the nature of human thought to dissect the
world into things and events or space and time. Otherwise we would be unable
to experience the world. Space and time contain the opposites of duality and
therefore outer struggle. We see it everywhere in nature, where it is a
natural thing and in fact a necessary part of the evolution and of life
itself. It is also the way of the objective reality to manifest harmony in
the outer realms as we can see it in the absolute perfection of the rose.
In the psyche of humans, this struggle is an alien
thing which does not belong there. It is there because of the application of
mental methods on the inner reality. The mind produces an illusion of inner
space and time, i. e. inner things and events, in the same way as it knows
outer things, and places them up against each other.
Inner reconciliation is seeing and understanding
the nature of outer duality and the inner unity without mixing the two. Only
to realize how the consciousness functions will correct the errors within,
because then the inner struggle will end by itself. When we understand that
the consciousness that wants to change what we are, is the same
consciousness that is to be changed, we will realize that there is something
wrong with the attitude of changing. Inner reconciliation is of course to
reconcile oneself to how one really is, and at the same time to how the
world is, but before that we have to get rid of all the mental illusions,
i.e. to confront sincerely how we and the world really are.
Of course we can't clothe such understanding in the
costume of concepts and words. Yet the highest spiritual minds have always
tried to share this wisdom of unity to those who have been willing to listen
and think about the matter. Let us take few of these ideas and try to
realize the real meaning of their content.
Everything is exactly as it should be. What
seems to be the grossest injustice in the outer arena becomes reconcilable
within when the real meaning is seen through inner understanding. Such inner
vision or reconciliation, which we sometimes call insight, is the
unconditional love which never judges nor takes any sides.
Everything is impregnated with meaning or
purpose, and at the very core of the universe this meaning is one and
the same for all things and every incident. It is the goal of all spiritual
endeavor to come closer to the one truth, innate in this wonderful universe,
to discern the one meaning that manifests in its every part, and to follow
the progress of creation as fully-fledged co-creators.
Problems are essentially only mental
disagreements within. They are the result of our desire for having
things different from what they are. All problems can be solved by changing
our attitude towards them, becoming content with things as they are. In this
way problems becomes assignments, carrying meaning or purpose. The
perception of the innate meaning of events and inner reconciliation always
go together. To reconcile with life is to understand it, and to understand
life is to be content with it. Love and understanding always go hand in hand
for they are really the same thing.
Most problems originate from human relations.
It is therefore useful to look into the complicated processes of human
relationships. In the same way that will, or force, is of no use in the
inner realms of consciousness, the same is true in human relationships. Here
the problems are a bit more complicated, because we have to discern between
inner reconciliation and outer yielding or mercy. To yield to the will of
others is no mark of goodwill. It only shows stupidity. The only true mark
of one's own deeds is ones own understanding or love, whereas one should
hardly ever judge the deeds of another person, because for that there has to
be present a deep inner understanding of human nature together with deep
love and compassion.
The first basic principle of relationship is the
absolute sacredness of self-determination. You should never try to control
another person, and never yield to another persons attempts to control you.
This advice is not easily accomplished, because it touches most compartments
of human relationships. First let us take a look at the ownership-complex.
To own is a double slavery. Firstly there is
the tendency to keep or manipulate the property, and secondly the owner is
manipulated or possessed by the property and therefore not a free man. To
make possession of another person is therefore double violence, towards the
victim and towards oneself. This ownership takes on a. different disguise,
from the most enamored state, with its innate need to comply and serve, to
the grossest of tyranny.
Within this sector of manipulation there are
numerous varieties that normally sail under a false flag. One could name
various providential tendencies, preaching of doctrines and religious dogmas,
the modern gift-epidemic, and all the charity-fuss, often mostly for the
performer, even without asking the recipient. We can also mention envy and
jealousy, which are only outer symptoms of gross possessiveness and
aggression. The most important thing to realize is that possessiveness is
a mental attitude, not an act, and therefore difficult to judge by the
outer act.
To give is to get - to snatch is to lose.
Here we are talking of inner values, but it should be noted that what is
within, will sooner or later be mirrored in the outer realms. Generosity
within will bring outer prosperity, whereas greed will ultimately bring
about outer shortage and poverty.
The very attitude of ownership needs
examination. To own means to dominate or control, and it is in fact a normal
and straightforward part of human relationship in the outer domain of life.
It is normal that each person should control his or her body, personal
things etc. It is also normal that someone should be chosen to be in charge
in a workplace, to manage a firm or to take on political power. In all this
the key lies in the attitude of the holder of power, whether there is a
responsibility or domineering tendencies, whether he looks at his role as a
property or as a gift. He who has the attitude that he is a caretaker of
somebody else's property, be it God, nature or humanity at large, has come
nearer to the freedom of giving. Instead of possessiveness there is a
feeling of responsibility, but it must not have in it the burden of duty or
obligation. If so, you are still carrying the burden of ownership, which has
to be duly recognized.
Unconditional faith in life is the key to
freedom. To trust in God, is the real mark of a religious man, not to
believe or to be convinced. The convinced one lives in the illusion of blind
conviction, whereas the truly faithful will always be open-minded for
everything that meets him in life, without preconceptions or expectations.
He will meet persons and events undaunted but fully aware, and react in the
momentous present. To trust is simply to travel fearless on the rough sea of
life.
Freedom from the self is the only true freedom.
There is no outer freedom in the ordinary sense of the word, but inner
freedom, which means to be totally independent from both inner as well as
outer conditions, will also inevitably bring about outer freedom. All
dependence, inner as well as outer, is due to inner conditioned reactions.
You have only very limited choice about that which meets you in the outer
arena of life, but you can always choose how you meet the incidents of life,
moment by moment. All reactions that originate in the past are limited and
dependent, but if you meet all events with pure awareness and open goodwill,
something new and creative is brought about, which corrects every action.
The release of karma is not brought about by
creating good karma instead of bad karma. It is brought about by burning all
karma in the fire of understanding and love. That is the true and noble
process of inner reconciliation.
Copyright: Einar Adalsteinsson.