Pages have been written on inner transformation leaning on the philosophical angle, religious framework and the effort of human beings to become better individuals and identify with the supreme soul and cosmic awareness.
This article moves away from such dogmas and simplifies the entire effort and talks about the catharisis that makes a butterfly out of a caterpillar as part of the life journey not as being inside an experimental cocoon.
Inner transformation thus takes place through three efforts, being one with ourselves, being in tune with others and being one with nature or the universe. It is also a fact that it can be achieved during this lifetime.
What exactly is inner transformationIJ It is defined as a paradigm shift in the inner nature and behaviour of an individual which reflects a change on the outside. It is not something which changes for a short while; rather it is a permanent change and the person and everyone around him are very happy with the change.
We call it permanent until it lasts because anyone can slide down and become his former self and may be even worse if the efforts are not on. like a topper has to study well to remain at the top so also we have to try hard to keep this change as a permanent one. Therefore, instead of using the word ‘change’, the word ‘transformation’ is used.
One with ourselves: Every person has a soul which is part of the supreme consciousness or, in simple terms, a manifestation of God, that is, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am God). Thus, every human being is born with a divine nature. We see a small child smiling for no reason, but it’s a sign of ‘Ananda’ or pure bliss, which is the inherent nature of the divine.
Over time and circumstances, the child begets an acquired nature which makes him out to be a good person or a bad person. These ‘Sanskaras’ or genetic coding are carried by him over many births and make him a distinct individual.
For instance, if the parents are the angry and aggressive types, it is quite possible that their son will have that nature. But this is not the divine nature. If the son realises this then he can overcome these genetic inheritances in his lifetime. This is called being one with ourselves.
The effort to cross the inherited nature and acquire and identify the divine nature is identifying with the actual soul within him. This does not mean that he will stop being angry or aggressive.
He will have control over his anger and know when to be angry; understand what is cold anger; how far to go; how not to hurt someone, etc. Similar is the case of aggression. He can change anger and aggression into positive qualities to achieve his goals.
Along with these qualities, he will also identify himself with other divine qualities like compassion, becoming neutral over pain and pleasure, acceptable to others, being in a state of bliss or Ananda which is his true nature, etc. Such people become the preferred ones in society and are sought-after by everyone.
In tune with others: It is not having a huge bank balance that can make a person popular or accepted by others. Rather, it is the ability to touch the soul or true nature of others which makes a person acceptable or a leader.
Haven’t we heard many times that ‘he said something which touched my heart or he did something which touched my soul or ‘Atma’IJ Once this happens, we know that the person is on the path of inner transformation. Only such people can create a reaction which is not skin-deep. You may ask a question here as to why we need to be in tune with others.
Man is a social animal, and gaining recognition among his species is a sign of success. Once he has made enough money, he is not satisfied until he gains leadership amongst his folk. How can he get thisIJ He can only when he is in synch with or better than others. He can do so if only he is on the path of inner transformation.
In a gathering sometimes, we see someone and feel so happy; even we may feel like going and giving the person a hug without purpose.
Have we ever analysed why this happensIJ It’s because the person is gaining the divine qualities and it is reflected in his or her aura. It’s like the bonfire from where we all want to warm our hands.
Anyone on the path of inner transformation draws people to himself just as a flower can draw bees. He becomes a charismatic personality. Mother Teresa was one such example. Just seeing her photograph brought a feeling of devotion within us.
One with nature or universe: ‘Pinda Brahmanda’ sums it up. ‘Pinda’ means body and ‘Brahmanda’ means universe. It says that the entire universe is contained in this human body.
Basically, it refers to each person’s outlook about life and the entire world. If I feel that there is nothing beyond mother earth, which is relevant for me, then that is the truth for me. If someone else feels life on Mars has relevance for him then that is his truth. Both are individual illusions and both are true.
For transformation, one has to relate to the outer universe and mainly adopt the discipline of nature. We all know that nature follows a discipline or pattern.
Flowers bloom under some given conditions; seasons change by rules; in fact, everything happens by rules and given conditions. There could be anomalies like sudden floods and typhoons, but they are stray incidents caused by overexploitation of mother earth.
We have to learn lessons from nature which indicated that if we don’t lead a disciplined life, we will be subjected to imbalances which cause diseases. Inner transformation cannot be achieved without a balance state of body and mind, and to achieve this state we have to be in tune with nature.
Transformation cannot be achieved overnight; sometimes it stretches beyond many lives, but if we start the process, it will be visible and create oneness in this lifetime and make us leaders of society and better individuals.
(sikta_pati@rediffmail.com)