When I was in my twenties I joined a community in Queens, New York, headed by an Indian guru. I spent only five years there, but the impression it left would be the foundation for the life that followed. Much of the experience with the guru is more than meditation and selfless service. If you think peace, light and bliss are constant in this environment you are mistaken. The constant battle over ego and ego’s best friends; jealousy, doubt, insecurity, pride and depression, is mind boggling. It releases these friends in big doses and breaks you down like never before.
Yet, in spite of this, there is still the searching for peace, light and the all elusive bliss. With the practice of meditation – and opening of the awareness centers that meditation activates – there is a touching of these esoteric essences that comes to visit every so often. Peace and Light are visible to the inner eye through clarity that imbues the inner being. You can see the wave form in front of you during meditation and feel its presence as it enters your body from the other realms.
Bliss is not visible. Bliss is resonance at the most subtle level. There are times when you think you’ve caught it, but it’s just the emotional body responding to the Peace and Light that comes through the meditation. You are even set upon by tears of joy which masquerade as bliss, playing on the third chakra, and sending messages to the heart producing bouts of unstoppable weeping. This is the kundalini energy moving up to the third chakra, the emotional center; and when it gets there it is suddenly blocked and the energy stops moving further up to the heart center where the real experience of bliss occurs.
So what is bliss? Bliss comes in a wave, like a soft breeze against the skin. It moves gracefully. It never announces itself and you can’t meditate to it. It comes when least expected because the human mind cannot intend it or even cry for its presence. No, Bliss sneaks in when you’re off guard and guard is the key word here. We always guard ourselves from external and internal occurrences, or so we think. We are constantly watching out for ourselves and this creates the barrier to keep bliss away. Bliss is always present. It resonates around us all the time. It is part of the cosmic makeup and it laughs like hell when it feels someone searching high and low for it. It’s just not going to show up. Don’t even try.
What you must do is pack your mental bags, put them into storage, and move into the palace of the heart. The home of the heart is a beautiful place. It is always clean and scented with delight. It sees you always as a dear one and will never tell you anything but the truth. And once you accept the truth that the heart offers you, you will see a change in yourself. Immediately you will notice a grace about your Self that was not apparent before. You will see all things as good and all beings as loved ones. The noticing of this is subtle but it will tap you on the shoulder and let you know it’s here. Once your mind no longer directs the symphony of your life, once you hand the baton over to your heart, you will be free. And Bliss will become your best friend. You will laugh with joy when it arrives. It shows up at the most unimagined moments. You could be strolling down a road or listening to a piece of music. Suddenly the wave arrives. It caresses you and you feel your heart swell and tears roll out. These tears aren’t thunderous, they are expressions of recognition. And this recognition bolsters the experience to levels of the greatest delight. I’m sure there are those that will read this post that have had their own bliss experiences, for each one is personal and I would hope you will share these experiences with us. Oh yes, one more thing, when we all discover simplicity in our lives we will open the door wide for our friend to arrive.
Letters From 500 