Good things come in a pair, that's my new found belief. First Jonathan Livingstone and now this gem from Deepak Chopra. Who doesn't want success? Everyone does! And there are plethora of books – some good, some bad, and some absolutely pathetic – that give you advice on succeeding where others have failed. Now if everyone could become enlightened just by reading and following these books, our world would have been a better place. All these books work on a superficial level, and give you a few days worth of a stimuli which massages your brain and nothing else. Well this book may not give you that kick, but works at a deeper level and if followed will clearly take you to a higher plane. It is also a very short book- all of 39 pages infact – but it conveys a powerful message. So here are the 7 laws of spiritual success according to him:
- Law of Pure Potentialities
The source of all creation is pure consciousness, pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And we have to realize that in order for this law to apply. We can do so through the daily practice of silence, meditation and practice of non-judgment. The silence entails the act of simply being and experiencing silence. Meditation for half hours both in morning and evening makes one more aware and more open to the law of pure potentiality. Non-judgment means forming no judgment about any event, being neutral to all stimuli. Bible says," Judge not ye and be not judged,…" .The other thing that he lays emphasis on is being close to nature, observing the working of it in silence and in contemplation.
- The Law Of Giving
The best way to receive the abundance of universe is to give. You should help others get what they want and you would be sowing the seeds of potential success. Whenever you come in contact with someone, keep in mind to leave them with something. The gift might not be materialistic; it can be a compliment or a prayer. Caring, attention, appreciation and love are very precious gifts in fact the most precious gifts and best of all they come free! Make a conscious decision to give wherever you go, to whomever you see. Wish them happiness, joy and laughter.
- Law Of Karma
As one sows so shall one reap : this is one of the oldest wisdom and also the least understood. The law of karma or the law of cause and effect exists and is the reason for what we are today and the path we have taken in life. Every time we make a decision or do something we are making a choice. If someone insults us, we make a choice of being sad; and when one appreciates us we become happy- that is our choice. As we go on making these choices we become conditioned to the externalities and any stimulus evokes a certain response from us just like the dog of Pavlov who would salivate at the sound of bell, after being conditioned to the stimuli. Swami Vivekananda said,"
Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom.. . . Our thoughts, our words, and deeds are the threads of the net which we throw around ourselves." And the law of karma says that no law in the universe goes unpaid. So whatever actions you did in the past (lives, if you believe in soul),will bear fruits in present lives; and whatever actions you perform now, whether good or bad, will bear fruit in next life. So witness the choices you make in each moment. Be aware of the choices! - The Law of Least Effort
There are three components to the Law of Least Effort, three things you can do to put this principle of "do less and accomplish more" into action. The first component is acceptance. Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment: "Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur.." You accept things as they are, not as you wish they were in this moment. When you feel frustrated or upset by a person or a situation, remember that you are not reacting to the person or the situation, but to your feelings about the person or the situation. These are your feelings, and your feelings are not someone else's fault.
This leads us to the second component of the Law of Least Effort: responsibility. What does responsibility mean? Responsibility means not blaming anyone or anything for your situation, including yourself. Having accepted this circumstance, this event, this problem, responsibility then means the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own
evolution.
The third component of the Law of Least Effort is defenselessness, which means that your awareness is established in defenselessness, and you have relinquished the need to convince or persuade others of your point of view. If you observe people around you, you'll see that they spend ninety-nine percent of their time defending their points of view. If you just relinquish the need to defend your point of view, you will in that relinquishment, gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have been previously wasted. Completely desist from defending your point of view. When you have no point to defend, you do not allow the birth of an argument. When you remain open to all points of view, not rigidly attached to only one, your dreams and desires will flow with nature's desires.
- Law of Intention and Desire
This law is based on the fact that energy and information exist everywhere in nature. Your body is not separate from the body of the universe, because at quantum mechanical levels there are no well-defined edges. You can consciously change the energy and informational content or your own quantum mechanical body, and this conscious change is brought about by the two qualities inherent in consciousness: attention and intention. Attention energizes, and intention transforms. How many among us know that a single cell in the human body is doing about six trillion things per second, and it has to know what every other cell is doing at the same time. This is talked about by Buddha. The symphony of universe is played on the human body. One has to become aware of it. Intention is the real power behind desire. Intent alone is very powerful, because intent is desire without attachment to the outcome. Desire alone is weak, because desire in most people is attention with attachment. Relinquish your attachment to the outcome. This means giving up your rigid attachment to a specific result and living in the wisdom of uncertainty. It means enjoying every moment in the journey of your life, even if you don't know the outcome. Let the universe handle the details. Trust that infinite organizing power of intention to orchestrate all the details for you.
- The Law of pure Detachment
The Law of Detachment says that in order to acquire anything in the physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn't mean you give up the intention to create your desire. You don't give up the intention, and you don't give up the desire. You give up your attachment to the result. Attachment, on the other hand, is based on fear and insecurity, and the need for security is based on not knowing the true Self. When you understand this law, you don't feel compelled to force solutions. When you force solutions on problems, you only create new problems. Make the following mantra: Today I will commit myself to detachment. I will allow myself and those around me the freedom to be as they are. I will not rigidly impose my idea of how things should be.
- The Law of Dharma or Purpose in life
There are three components to the Law of Dharma. The first component says that each of us is here to discover our true Self; each of us is here to discover our higher self or our spiritual self. That's the first fulfillment of the Law of Dharma. We must find out for our self that inside us is a god or goddess in embryo that wants to be born so that we can express our divinity. The second component of the Law of Dharma is to express our unique talents. The Law of Dharma says that every human being has a unique talent. You have a talent that is unique in its expression, so unique that there's no one else alive on this planet that has that talent, or that expression of that talent. This means that there's one thing you can do, and one way of doing it, that is better than anyone else on this entire planet. The third component of the Law of Dharma is service to humanity, to serve your fellow human beings and to ask yourself the questions, .How can I help? How can I help all those that I come into contact with? Ask yourself, if money was no concern and you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do? If you would still do what you currently do, then you are in dharma, because you have passion for what you do, you are expressing your unique talents. Swami Vivekananda said that each soul is potentially divine. Discover your divinity, find your unique talent, serve humanity with it, and you can generate all the wealth that you want.
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, star-dust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. But the expressions of life are ephemeral, momentary, and transient. Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, once said, this existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky, rushing by like a torrent down a steep mountain.
We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share with caring, lightheart-edness, and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.
