Chant* for a couple of minutes
to achieve some concentration of the mind. Then stop chanting and look
at the following boxes and note your perception. Click on the boxes to
reveal the images. The details of how to assess one’s subtle perception
of an object can be seen by clicking on this section’s heading.
E-mail us your answers at the Weekly.
(Click on the images or text to reveal each image.)
Answer to the Subtle Experiment in Issue 231:
By looking at Figure A from bottom to top,
one feels distress at the bottom and pleasant while looking in the upwards
direction.
Figure A is the cover page of the Sanatan
organization’s publication, Spiritual
Practice for Destroying Ego. This Holy text discusses different components
of spiritual practice and practical ways according to various spiritual
paths, for reducing ego. It explains efforts of some seekers for destroying
ego and the resulting spiritual experiences.
The bottom-most image in this figure indicates
maximum ego, whereas the top-most image in the figure indicates minimum
ego. As one’s spiritual
level increases with spiritual
practice, the amount of ego decreases. There is also an improvement
in one’s qualities/subtle constitution. To indicate this change
in ego and subtle constitution, the image has used shapes and colors accordingly.
For example, tama predominant, rajasik ego
of an intellectual, politician, etc., (who are generally at 20% spiritual
level), has been indicated by a large thorny shape in black color.
Similarly, a decrease in thorny shape and an
increase in brightness of color are used to indicate reduction in ego
and the shift from tama predominance to sattva predominance. The top-most
white color indicates the unmanifest God principle’s ego (0%). To
indicate the pure sattvik ego of Saints having a spiritual level of 70%
or more and who experience oneness with God (Shivdasha), a small ball
of yellow color with a white border is shown.
One can imagine the actual Bliss experienced
with ego reduction if even a diagrammatic depiction of the concept can
feel pleasant. |
