Sense Beyond the Senses

            We all have to be more open in our lives.  We are caught up in social conventions and trivial thoughts, trapped by lust and desire, confined in our minds.  That is why our vision is limited.  And the purpose of life, our mission, is to develop our potential fully.  Unfortunately, generations of walls have been built up around us-cultural, social, sometimes religious barriers which prevent us from stretching out and reaching beyond prescribed boundaries. 

            Our situation is like that of a caged lion, fighting to escape, full of strength, energy and vigor.  When he begins his struggle to get out, he finds the bars too strong, and his energy becomes dissipated.  He loses his power.  Eventually he succumbs, accepts his defeat, surrenders to the environment, and lives like a small helpless creature.  With the passing of time, he forgets that he is a lion. 

            This has happened to us.  The soul of the human being is fire and light.  It has strength.  We not only have a potential to develop physical power, but we also have an inner spiritual strength which has to be nourished and sustained as well.  It is always said that we need material possessions, material accomplishments, and a position in life in order to survive on that level, but we need to tend the soul too, in order to survive as a totally fulfilled individual.  Then life becomes a series of beautiful meetings in the universe.  While we live, we live happily.  And when we leave, we leave with peace.  We understand the importance of this philosophy when we see that for purely materialistic people, both living and leaving involves unhappiness.  They live with difficulty, depression and fear of defeat.  When the time comes for leaving, they are sad and tearful, and they go from the world without any awareness. 

            There is an extra sense, beyond the five natural sense: to touch, taste, smell, see and hear.  It is a spiritual sense, a sixth sense, which gives meaning to the other senses.  Without this sixth sense, the senses are senseless.  When people look, they do not realize what they are seeing.  When they listen, they do not understand what they are hearing.  When they talk, they do not know what they are saying, and sometimes, mean, unkind words come popping out.  When they touch, they do not grasp what they are felling.  When they taste, they do not recognize fully what they are eating.  All this happens because they have not developed that extra sense which adds true sense to the senses.  That is why we often talk about senseless conversation, senseless observation, senseless living.  When you develop your sixth sense, life becomes full of meaning. Then we say--"That person is sensible."  When "sensible" is used in this way, it means "aware."  Every moment, this person knows what he is doing; every hour he knows what he is going to do.  He feels actions before they occur because his sixth sense tells him.  This sense is in full working order, not rusted, disusednand neglected.  it is shining like the sun.  and when this inner sense shines like the sun, the whole world is bright. 

            Why do you enjoy the day?  Because there are no clouds blocking the sun.  When there are clouds hiding the sun, the day is dull, everything appears gray and gloomy.  You do not feel like going out or doing anything, so you sit indoor drinking coffee and wasting energy.  When the sun is bright, you want to go out.  You cannot help yourself; something draws you out.  You feel alive!  In the same way, when your sixth sense, the extra sense, is shining, you feel joy in life.  You do a small thing, and the act itself gives you a touch of joy.  Even if you shake hands with somebody, you feel a real communication of two lives.  If you look at a small flower, it stimulates your communication with the life force.  You see life growing, pulsating and blossoming.  The intrinsic tenderness of life diffuses the fragrance and color.  Even a single flower can give you illumination.  You do not look upon the flower as a common object and thoughtlessly throw it away.  You establish communication between life and life.  When you sit on the grass, you feel the same thing.  You are delicately communicating with inner life, and you are growing. 

            As the shell of an egg is broken and life comes out, in the same way the shell of ignorance is broken and some thing intelligent emerges.  Unfortunately, many people never break through this shell; they die without ever being properly born.  Only when you make the real breakthrough, see and relate to the universe with the extra sense, can you feel and experience real life. 

            There is a word in Jain philosophy for this sense: Pragna.  In other schools, it is called the third eye or higher consciousness.  There are many different words for that special awareness, pragna.  With pragna you break through ignorance, your perception is different.  Things dawn on you.   Everything you see becomes a means to joy, because your inner mechanism has changed gear--turning all it sees into joy. N that is the art.  The artist who paints a still life and transmits a living quality onto his or her canvas has this inner sense of perception.  This is really ESP.  it is not just reading someone's mind, or having a premonition about who is coming to see you.  All these are ephemeral phenomena, merely telepathic, child's play, and happen when the mind is becoming clear.  You are waiting for some mail, and the next day the mailman delivers the mail you were thinking about.  Your mind wanders to a person you have not seen for a month, and you go out on the street and bump into that person.  You daydream and a certain face comes into your head and after a week that same face is introduced to you for the first time.  All these things do happen.  But these are just indicators of a strength and potential we all have within us.  We have to go further, to develop this inner power so that everything in life hums with happiness, peace and serenity. 

            Then the essence in you will welcome any challenge.  You will think: "Here I am, let anything come.  I have the art of heart to transform all things and bring balance."  Take this challenge now, from today, and work on it.  Say to yourself:  "Let me use my extra sense, my inner sense, my wisdom and intelligence to turn every event into joy, into understanding, into creativity."  It is a challenge.  Take it up.  Try only for a year and see.  The wisdom of pragna will dawn upon you. 

            This extra sense requires constant use to make it work properly.  If you break a hand and it is in plaster for a month, when the cast is removed and you try stretch your hand, you will not be able to do so.  Your hand has become useless.  To bring it back to proper working order, you have to massage and exercise it every day for several days.  Then the hand will do things for you.  In the same way, people who do not use this extra sense will find it has become numb.  In fact, for most people, it is so numb that they do not think they possess it.  They say,  "The masters have it, but we don't" They accept that they are lesser mortals and try and make do without it.  I call this spiritual bankruptcy--not to realize, understand and feel the inner intelligence which is the essence of this universe. 

            Great teachers do not take pleasure in people worshipping them;  they are not on this earth to respond to flattery.  Words of praise mean nothing to them.  They exist to show mankind that pragna is the birthright of each soul, that we all have this strength inside, that we have to exercise it.  It may take some time and patience.  If you use your broken hand too quickly and try to force it, you may break it again and be back where you started.  You bring it into action slowly and gradually.  We must treat this inner energy in the same way. 

            In the morning and in the evening, put aside some time to be alone for a while.  The journey to the unknown is always made alone.  You cannot go with a crowd.  When you are alone, in communication with yourself, ask: "Who am I?  What is my pattern and mechanism?  Am I manufacturing unhappiness every day or do I have some inner are to transform unpleasant events into pleasantness?  Do I have that art?  If not, why don't I?  Who or what stops my progress?" 

            The lesson to be learned here is this: that you do not attribute this lack of happiness to another person, blaming your mother, father, teacher or somebody else.  Do not rest at that conclusion.  Truly, it hurts you when you settle for the belief that another person is the cause of your unhappiness.  You are not really analyzing the situation, facing up to the reality.  You are rationalizing out true understanding.  You must make an effort within yourself no break your own barrier of negativism.  Be positive and say,  " I want to be happy today anyway.  I am not going to spoil my day; because of somebody else.  I cannot afford to waste a single day.  Each hour is precious and meaningful."  In reality, each day that you receive is a blessing.

            In the morning, start with this: sit and concentrate on yourself.  Feel and believe:  "There is pragna inside me and I shall exercise it.  I shall limber it up, take it with me and use it throughout my day, in the office, in my work, in the bus or on the subway, with all my coworkers, friends and companions.  Also whenever someone throws negative vibrations toward me, I will burn them up and turn them into positive constructive energy."  It is a very significant decision which takes much courage to make.  But with your extra sense, you can conquer your inner enemies.  Then you will find that your outer enemies will no longer be a trouble.  When you have this inner awareness, outside influences cease to be a limiting factor.  Your attitude converts them into positive elements.  This metamorphosis is not achieved through intellectual gymnastics.  It is done wholly through awareness, meeting all aspects of life and making them beautiful, using your extra sense to give sense to the senses and to all things. 

            From now on, let us move in the world, radiating our Self wherever we go.  Let us realize that our journey on this planet is to experience our Essence.  Let us all understand the intrinsic meaning of this extra perceptive sense and celebrate life with enthusiasm.