It is only when one gives up selfishness that one can truly feel close to the Almighty, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live,” said Oscar Wilde. There is a strong belief among some religious sects that all of us are a small part of a big one who is Supreme and super natural and who is known by different names and forms in different religions. However, looking at the current scenario,where we all are living an individualistic life to achieve our individual goals, one might easily argue against the belief of oneness between one Supreme and one self.
Also each one of us is so hard-pressed and desperate to fulfill our infinite wishes that we hardly spare a moment to even think about that one Supreme who happens to be our mother, father, guide and saviour.
As individuals, we all expect that others should treat us with respect and love which we consider to be our human and birth rights. Sounds silly, doesn’t itIJ But it’s a fact that none of us wishes to be totally neglected or completely deprived of any human rights. One may tolerate certain acts of others that go against their rights upto a certain limit. This is because none of us can totally and absolutely dissociate from the feeling of individuality. It is this individual approach which hinders our growth as a human being and prevents us from imbibing treasures of knowledge from the Supreme. Hence, we need to get rid of it at any cost but it is practically impossible to lift the chair on which one is sitting. Therefore one cannot rise from individuality, which has become our true nature, and one cannot get rid of this by mere wishful thinking.
We need to concentrate on liberating ourself from the negative traits of our body-consciousness. We should remember that when we become too narrow in outlook, we become selfish and after sometime this selfishness takes the form of jealousy, hatred and greed. These negative traits sum up as the real causes for almost all the problems in the world.
It is said that selfishness is the greatest curse for the human race. So how can we get over this curse and save ourselvesIJ Experience says that one can get rid of selfishness by a simple thought, belief and feeling that we are all children of one Supreme and are, therefore, brothers. We should work for each other’s well-being and should co-operate with each other to remove sufferings. Apart from selfishness , it has been also observed that the feeling of individual self also, at times, takes the form of ego or pride which drives us into destructive mode.
However, when we get enlightened by spiritual knowledge, we will realise how much wrong our feeling of false pride or ego are, which in turn will bring in humility within us. Regular practice of meditation will further make us realise that we have many shortcomings, weaknesses and bad qualities which needs to be eliminated. So let us connect our mind to Him and restore our spiritual relationship to remove all the negative traits of our individual self.