Part 4: Parinama - The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen'

3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen'.

Part 4:
Parinama – Change is Eternal.

By Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 20^th, 2010

Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.

(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).

INTRODUCTION:
There are always going to be challenges, test and situations that compel one to either adapt, grow and evolve into a larger world view landscape, into a greater sense of mastery over ones divine sovereignty, or to remain in status quo. Each Status Quo, is called a Chakra Level, where the life lessons of that stage of psycho-spiritual and Soul ‘ripening’ have not yet been fully mastered due to the obscuring capacities of Karma and Maya.  Mastery of each level can only be accomplished by surrendering the numbing walls and mountains of mistaken identity of the Limited-Self, created by the 5 Kanchukas of Maya discussed in the previous lesson, Part 3. Dharma . Let us break this process down further, exploring the geography of this ‘land of delusion’.

Landscape of the 5 Kanchukas of Maya:
The writings of St. John of the Cross, a 16^th century Christian Saint, also wrote of this, ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ and its stages of psycho-spiritual surrender. It is a deep, sacred miracle common to all true religions and spiritual paths. The mind creates its own reality. The Lower Ego-Mind, (Chitta Shakti, in Sanskrit),creates a delusional landscape of maya called samsara, having forgotten itself as Self-of-All, (Atman) and God-Consciousness, (Chitti Shakti), and therefore misinterprets reality, seeks safety behind mountains of mind-body debri.  The perpetuation of this misperception are like the muddied the waters of our once clear mental faculties of honest introspection.

The poisonous muck that grows from disturbed, muddied waters of mental-emotional delusions of Prideful actions, is substrate for all latent and manifest diseases of Mankind.  Because of this, the agreed upon primo cardinal sin of all religions and spiritual paths, is Pride and its twin, Solipsism. These numbing mountains of walls put up by the lower ego-mind are reinforced to the death by little muck-building beavers of Pride, with the tree limbs of incorrect ideas and concepts of how the universe works. Incorrect interpretations of the nature of Man & the Universe are fed by the stream of impure sensory information hitting one’s brain every second.  Pridefullness packs down the dirty, sticky muck on the walls of egoic self-protection by a ‘positive-feedback loop’ / Domino effect, fed by the gathering instruments of ones’ sense organs: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting, which themselves are innocent, but simply incorrectly used.
In Jainism, a denomination of Hinduism which focuses on Karmic redemption of the soul, Pride is the Perversity of Outlook, which may be inherent or acquired (Domino Effect from other souls)

Jains feel that ‘perversity of attitude is the root cause of all evil’.¹  Pride is the greatest enemy of the Prapanna. Inability to be introspective is due to the 5 five senses of touch, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting and their insatiable seeking and latching onto sensory objects.  The lower ego-minds incessant desire for sensual satisfaction is never met and causes dissatisfaction and discontent for as long as the Mind allows it, usually our entire lives.  Of all the defenses and weapons at the disposal of the prideful lower ego-mind, the most insidious are Fear, Shame, Doubt and Solipsism.

 These ego defenses create tremendous resistance to any changes in the Status Quo deemed to be a threat to it.  Thus the bindings of Maya entrap and enslave us to shame, misery and sicknesses.  How can one possibly begin to remove oneself from this nasty mess? Where shall we wage war?  With what? The task is overwhelming and one has no faith or hope.  The knowledge taught us by ‘the sleeping’ will not awaken us to the freedom and happiness of true Knowledge and authentic Power.   Where can we find true Knowledge? What is the ultimate Knowledge? How do we trust that it is real?

PARINAMA:
Synonyms for this Sanskrit word are, 'change', 'transformation', 'evolution'.  (Closely related is prapatti: Sanskrit for surrender).  Parinama can not happen without prapatti.  Surrendering to the Will of God for the sake of achieving immortal and eternal inner peace, love and contentment, redeems, heals and propels us ever forward in the Divine Plan. Parinama, or as I call it, personal psycho-spiritual evolution,  marks the pivotal milestones of redemption and initiation which mark the rites of passage through the personal Dharma of Divine Plan of our incarnation, as a Prapanna, (seeker of God in absolute surrender). 

Mastery and transcendence through each stage of our personal Dharma, is an initiatory process.  Just as with the latest scientific theory of evolutionary change, psycho-spiritual development occurs both as gradual unfoldment as well as spontaneous leaps of realization of the highest Knowledge and Divine Communion with God.  The Hindus recognize the evolutionary process of unfolding spirit as the Divine Mother, Shakti ascending as the yogic Shri Shakti Kundalini up towards heaven to meet her Husband, Shiva, with the reward of eternal, ever-new and blissful divine union. The Christians hold symbolic rites of passage called the Sacraments, of which there are seven.  The Hebrew ‘Tree of Life’ and the supporting Angelic Realms, or 10 Sephirot, guide the souls of mankind up to the Godhead through stages very consistent with the Shakti Kundalini’s journey through the 7 Chakra Levels.  The Islamic and mystic Sufis seek God and the fruits of their sacrifices, the ‘7 Virgins’, being symbolic of the return of supreme innocence and purity of the Light of Consciousness in all inner and outer realms of the Self-in-All.

As we discussed in Part 3 - Dharma, within the arch of the Souls ripening, humans will evolve and grow towards the Godhead, regardless of all their failings, misinterpretations and misperceptions.  The Fractal Dynamics of the various stages of soul development are but the Causal Principle of Brahman, (the absolute full, unmanifest potential of the Divine). This divine potentiality of God the unmanifest, is caused to be manifest by the effects of Karmic Action.  The divine guiderails of Karma, being the Natural Law of Cause & Effect, do justice to Dharmic Integrity.  The more resistance  due being mired in ‘Karmic Stickiness’, the more off-path one is in Dharmic Integrity, the slower ones ascension progress to Self Realization and Liberation.  On the other hand, with Dharmic Integrity, the potential mastery of each Chakra level is hastened.  The levels have no timeline – they may be mastered faster or more slowly based on the Trine Adaptogenic Principles of Karma, Dharma and Parinama/Prapanna.

Here is an example of how we, at each Chakra Level, interpret ‘why bad things happen’.  We stay in Dharmic Integrity as we work our way through the Chakra Levels, at our own pace, based on Karmic worthiness, i.e. Soul Purity.   Dr.Deepak Chopra and his pivotal work in this area, culminating in a landmark book, ‘How to Know God’, is the inspiration for the below example.

The 7 Chakra Levels of Psycho-Spiritual Human Development

CHAKRA 1.    ‘I survive’.
Good creature comforts. Lack thereof is bad.  Good is whatever keeps me safe, well feed, and appeases my basic physical, emotional and mental instincts and survival needs. Food, clothing, shelter, family, safety is good.  Bad things happen when something gets in the way of that. The siren call of the Divine Plans Learning Lesson is: be able to exist.  Is there contentment here? This Chakra Level is full of pain and suffering.  For most Humans on earth, this is good enough of a challenge, and they do not have either the compulsion or mastery over this soul stage to move into the next level. Answer to the challenge of existence in Chakra Level 1 world view: ‘no thank you’….

CHAKRA 2.   ‘This is good, something is missing, I want MORE POWER’.

Good is ultimate power over my ‘situation’. Bad is whatever gets in the way of my absolute and ultimate power over my ‘situation’. Divine Plans’ Learning Lesson is: go forth & multiply. I strive for things that give me power so I can exist better. Money, sex, status, possessions, social position, authority over others, pecking order, alpha male/female, etc. This is the, ‘Rat Race’.  Most Humans are either in Chakra Level 1 or 2: where the ‘rat race’ of life is their limited world view and their survival & prosperity as ‘top dog’ is their limited perception of their highest selves. But, alas, this gets to really be a drag after a while.  Being ‘top dog’ is a cruel and ruthless, toxic world view. It’s too draining and I am burnt out. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 2 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 3.   ’This has its merits but something is missing, I want PEACE & QUIET’.

Good is anything that nurtures my inner self-esteem and self-worth. Bad is anything that makes me ‘lose my space,’….’lose my personal power’.  Divine Plan’s Learning Lesson is: catch the scent of authentic power.  There is usually a sentinel event which precipitates such a radical shift in world view of a person. Common examples of this ‘Spiritual Crisis’, are St. Augustine’s writings on ‘the dark night of the soul’, a car accident or other crippling bodily injury, a divorce, loss of job or death of a loved one.  Shaktipat Diksha, i.e. True Baptism by the Holy Spirit usually occurs in this level of development of the soul.²

We realize, as masters of the previous level, that no amount of external social power over others can bring inner peace, joy or lasting contentment. Indeed, everything so far has been at best, bittersweet;  at worst, a lie. That is, at first fantastic and wonderful, but sooner than later, a terrible failure and/or disappointment.  Perhaps getting away from it all will give us a reprieve for inspiration and guidance from some source within me.  When I am in my personal power, in my own space, I get a faint feeling, a fleeting glimpse of joy and contentment.   

What is this fleeting mystical experience of rapture, great contentment, bliss? Where is it coming from? I would give my kingdom for this secret source of such great joy,  happiness and utter contentment, but this sense of love is fleeting and I can’t put my finger on the source.  The experience is still bittersweet but not draining,  not a lie. How intriguing! Chakra Level 3 is considered the beginning of the ‘Spiritual Seeker’. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 3 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 4.   ’This is nice but something is missing. I want to Know the Source’.

Good is anything that brings a greater expansion of inner peace, joy, love & contentment in my life and my divine connection with others.  This source of power is not external, not even my ordinary self.  The Source is God within, my heart of hearts, (Hridya, in Sanskrit). Bad is anything that disconnects me from this deepening connection of inner power deep within and greater than myself.  The Divine Plans Learning Lesson is: to connect with the Higher Power.   Even so, the need for not only power but manifestation, creation, is a compelling force.   We want to integrate this inner landscape into our ordinary life outside, bringing into it our new abilities, borne of blooming inner senses and expanding consciousness.  Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 3 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 5.  ‘This is good, but something is missing. I want to Co-Create with the Source’.

Good is anything which validates and supports my newly emerging presentation and role in society as a Healer, Intuitive, Mystic, Clergy, divinely inspired master of arts & sciences.  Bad is anything that invalidates and stifles my new social role, my ability to co-create with God into the mundane world.  The Divine Plans’ learning Lesson is: surrender absolutely and completely all vestiges of the mistaken,  Limited Self. 

This is the last stop of surrendering all self-labels, such as wife, brother, teacher, psychic, healer, female, male, tall, short, driver, American, person, human, etc.  Re-identification of the Self, as well as full, single-pointed focus and commitment is required for any further ascension process. 

  This is the most difficult Chakra level to master as a spiritual seeker - so much surrender and sacrificing of our former world views are called for. Solipsism is the most insidious challenge at this level, where all these new found powers and abilities to co-create with the Creator are misidentified with the Limited Self.

 This mistake keeps the Limited Self in a deep state of duality, so difficult is it to separate the true Doer from the Doing.  In fact all ‘subject-object’ duality must be folded into a singularity, without form nor function, in order to transcend into the final 2 Chakra Levels.  An example of this subject-object merging into non-duality is when the ‘Seeing’, ‘Seen’, and ‘See-er’ become one.  The final 2 Chakra Levels are often so closely related and happen so quickly, that they are often seen as the one final step into the Supreme Power. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 5 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 6.  ‘This is fine, but something is missing.  I want to BE the Source’.

Good is the non-dual connection with the Divine, bad is anything that keeps me in a state of duality.  The Divine Plan’s Learning Lesson is:  simply be.   There is nothing more to do.  The Limited Self has been all but reintegrated with the Supreme Source.  It is up to Gods Will alone to carry us across the threshold into permanent Divine Communion.

CHAKRA 7.   ‘I exist’.

Good and bad no longer exists. “I”  no longer exists.  (‘Neti, Neti’ = not this, not that, in Sanskrit. ).  The goal is to continue in this ‘Play of Consciousness’  in authentic existence as the Highest Self, ‘Satchitananda’.  Sat-chit-ananda is Sanskrit and describes our True Self as being Divine Will, God Consciousness and Divine Love/ Bliss.  We remain seated in perfect contentment as the Highest Self, as the Witness. Basic personality remains, our lives around us continue, as do our basic needs; and social roles,  expectations and responsibilities.  The greatest challenge from there on for our realized, liberated true nature, is to remain manifested and integrated into the mundane world around us for the highest good of humanity.

Key Notes:
Of note, what was the common learning lesson for each of the Chakra Levels? It may sound contrite, but simply put, ‘just say no’.   Perpetuating the beliefs & behaviors that produce restlessness and discontent innate to each levels world view is a clue that few pay attention to until a major de-railing happens, hence the ‘Spiritual Crisis’ which occurs in Chakra Level 3.  A Spiritual Crisis, however,  is an absolute pre-requisite to starting pathwork home to God.

 It is not a ‘bad thing happening’.  It is a truly great blessing, as odd as that sounds.   As I had alluded to earlier, unless the spiritual seeker is thoroughly in disillusionment with the world, their spiritual questing will not be fruitful.  One must be so disenfranchised with the lie of the mundane world, that one is very willing to renunciate it all for the hopes of a greater and more palatable truth and reality.  Renunciation of the mundane world is a rite of passage lost to the modern world.  In some ancient native cultures, as with the Australian Aboriginies, their ‘Walkabouts’ suffice.  Monks are still synonymous with Renunciates.  Those who want higher, greater power and are still even fairly satisfied with their lot in life are absolutely not candidates for spiritual growth.   

Similarly, those at the highest levels of ascension who still believe they themselves are the cause of their exceptional abilities and extraordinary powers, are also at peril of becoming ‘Lost Souls’.  Of note also is that the re-identification cycle that occurs as one transcends through the Chakra Levels speeds up.  Where it takes many hundreds or thousands of life-times of pain & suffering to traverse the first few levels, pain and suffering ease off, and it takes fewer life-times to traverse the higher levels.  Most Hindu Satguru lineages have noticed that devout disciples often complete their pathwork in as little as 4 lifetimes after receiving the Shaktipat Diksha. A rare few complete in one lifetime, but that is exceptionally rare, with untold stress to the physical body, as residual karmas must play out.

All in all, this 3 part series on the 3 Categories of ‘Why Bad Things Happen’, Karma, Dharma and Parinama/Prapanna is a tongue-in-cheek title for, actually, a firm testament to the infinite wisdom, compassion and elegance of the dancing cosmos and its eternal play of consciousness. Hari Om Tat Sat!

Swami Nostrumananda

(Rev.Dr.Devi Nostrum)

Footnotes:
1. Shah, Natubhai. “Jainism – the world of conquerors’, Vol2.p62. Sussex Academic Press, Portland, OR, 1998.
2.  Shaktipat Diksha, i.e. True Baptism in Sanskrit - by the Holy Spirit usually occurs in this level of development of the soul.  Fleeting mystical experiences are more often than not,  a brief, elevated perception of that state of divine being from which the initiation was sent from.  For more on Shaktipat, see my teachings at www.ibasi.org as it is beyond the scope of the current topic.

IBASI Healing Ministries. Copyright 2010. Contact IBASI for permissions.