Even as ecologists feel a sense of duty towards preserving the purity of the environment, meditators who begin to realize the divinity within also feel a similar responsibility—to serve humanity and all life.
Ecologists concern themselves with our earthly house, working to clean up polluted air and water or to free animals and birds trapped in oil spills. They are the environmental heroes and heroines of our times.
Like the land on which we live, our most precious wealth—the soul or consciousness—lies buried beneath layers of illusion, matter, and mind. Through meditation, we can recover the resources—the unlimited wisdom and fearlessness—of our soul.
Although for millions of years, our earth has had clean air and fresh flowing waters, in our exploitation of the planet, we have polluted the air, water, and soil and are now destroying the earth’s ozone layer, its forests, and its animals. In a similar manner, we have polluted the natural purity of our soul with the toxins of anger, falsehood, and intolerance. Like contaminants in the environment, these negative impressions have covered and polluted our soul—which is the powerhouse within us—so that we cannot recognize our true self.
Each day we are bombarded by sensory stimuli from all directions. Each message coming in through our five senses is conveyed to the brain. Some messages require a physical response, but many of them require intellectual or mental responses. Oftentimes, mental stimulus can bring about reactions of fear, anxiety, tension, confusion, indecision, and a host of emotional responses. Both mental tension and emotional pain take their toll on our physical health and affect our ability to be productive in the world.
Meditation is a way to relieve stress at the mental level and helps us to have a healthy mind that can deal with the challenges of life in a calm composed way without feeling depressed, anxious, or fearful. The more we sit in meditation, the more we are able to return to that state of peace and harmony anytime during the day.
Whereas dedicated ecologists feel a sense of duty towards preserving the purity of the environment, those who sit in meditation and begin to realize the divinity that lies within themselves also feel a similar responsibility—to serve humanity and all life. Meditation, when practiced daily, helps us reduce our anxiety and combat negative thinking. The calmer we become, the more we can spread that peace to our family, community, nation, and even the world.
By devoting time to meditation, we can recover the innate beauty and ecological health of our souls. Then, we will reflect our inner radiance to all with whom we come in contact.
Lead picture courtesy sakhashree.com
