On Awareness-Proactivity and Unconsciousness-Ego-Reactivity...

[ajay0]

Teachings of the Masters on Awareness-Proactivty and Unconsciousness-Ego-Reactivity....



Act. Do not react.

--Sri Ravi Shankar



Sin is never in action. It is always in reaction.

-- Swami Chinmayananda



Virtuous ( proactive) action increases intelligence, while sinful ( reactive ) acts decreases intelligence.

--Vidura Neeti ( Mahabharatha )



If you want to progress in your life and grow, act not to react.

--Harbhajan Yogi Bhajan




Respond. Do not react.

--Osho



Just stay focused. Don't react. Just be a witness and you will see the magic of it.

--Swami Chidanand Saraswati



Be proactive. Do not be reactive.

--Stephen Covey ( Author of 7 habits of highly effective people )




Habitually we react to external stimuli, that is we are generally overwhelmed by retaliatory emotional forces within us demanding appropriate action. But surely this cannot be called 'action' , it is in fact ' re-action' . Discipline of the reasoning mind controls the reactive forces and results in appropriate 'action' rather than 're-action', one should endeavour to establish control and avoid retaliatory behaviour.

--Acharya Mahaprajna



Quality of life depends on what happens in the space between stimulus and response.

-- Stephen Covey



Because of the space between stimulus and response, people have the power of choice; therefore,leaders are neither born nor made — meaning environmentally trained and nurtured. They are self-made through chosen responses, and if they choose based on principles and develop increasingly greater discipline, their freedom to choose increases.

-- Stephen Covey



Reaction is unconscious. You do not know exactly that you are being manipulated. You are not aware that you are behaving like a slave, not like a master. Action out of consciousness is response.

-- Osho



You can act in two ways -- one is reaction, another is response.

Reaction comes out of your past conditionings; it is mechanical.

Response comes out of your presence, awareness, consciousness; it is non-mechanical.

The ability to respond is one of the greatest principles of growth. You are not following any order, any commandment; you are simply following your awareness. You are functioning like a mirror, reflecting the situation and responding to it -- not out of your memory from past experiences of similar situations, not repeating your reactions, but acting fresh, new, in this very moment. Neither the situation is old, nor your response -- both are new.

-- Osho



One who is obsessed with worldly pursuits, one who is body-oriented, cannot really go into this. We need to develop a distance from our mind and not give in to impulsiveness. Those who react are the ones who are living mindlessly. So in a way, we can say that living mindfully is being in meditation.

-- Anandmurti Gurumaa




So action which is born of reaction breeds sorrow. Most of our thoughts are the result of the past, of time. A mind that is not built on the past, that has totally understood this whole process of reaction, can act every minute totally, completely, wholly.

— J. Krishnamurti



Action which is born of reaction breeds sorrow.

— J. Krishnamurti

 

[ajay0]

Hi all,

I am Ajay.

My humble pranams and well-wishes to all of you here.


Quoted above are a list of teachings of various masters which I compiled myself for a better understanding and contemplation of the message of proactivity and reactivity.

Through study and analysis of the master's teachings, I had come to the understanding that it is proactive action which is what is known as virtue or good karma while reactive action is what is known as sin or bad karma.

While proactivity is what stems from a state of awareness or mindfulness , reactivity on the other hand stems from the ego .

Living in the present moment generates awareness, while living in the past or future due to desires, craving or incessant thinking is what generates the ego.

The state of awareness generates happiness , while the ego generates pain and sorrow.


This is why the Buddha had said thus ," Mindfulness ( constant awareness ) is the only true virtue."

And why Eckhart Tolle had stated thus. " Evil is an extreme manifestation of human unconsciousness."



Writing this in my notebook and constant study and contemplation of these teachings from time to time helped me to become a more self-aware, proactive and less reactive person. This understanding brought a deep sense of calmness, peace, contentment and well-being in my life.

Hope the reading of the above mentioned teachings will do the same for you or help in bringing perspective on the nature of the mind.

 

[Vinayaka]

As you have indicated more or less, it is about practise. "Don't react" means exactly that. You can write it a hundred ways, and find even more authors who wrote it. But there is only one way to practice it.

In practice, it isn't black and white. The intellectual understanding is the beginning point. Then in time, we can reduce the emotional impact experiences have on us. "Wisdom is the application of knowledge."

There are souls who have memorized other soul's teachings. All that says is you can memorize.

 

[ajay0]

Hi Vinayaka,

Thanks for your reply.

As you have indicated more or less, it is about practise. "Don't react" means exactly that. You can write it a hundred ways, and find even more authors who wrote it. But there is only one way to practice it.

In practice, it isn't black and white. The intellectual understanding is the beginning point. Then in time, we can reduce the emotional impact experiences have on us. "Wisdom is the application of knowledge."

As I have written in the previous post, proactivity comes when you are well-established in awareness or mindfulness, which is the goal of Hinduism or Buddhism.

It is only when you are living in the present moment or in a state of awareness, that you become fluently responsive and non-reactive.

In this unconscious world, which reeks with reactivity and its manifestations of ego, quarrels, hatred , jealousy and envy , it is indeed a considerable task to be mindful and aware at each and every moment.

Though I had understood the concept intellectually, I still found myself getting reactive and unconscious when dealing with the unconscious world leading to regret and pain later on upon retrospect.

So it followed from this that intellectual understanding alone will not help completely. It was after constant contemplation of the teachings of the masters from time to time with the help of my notebook which I kept in my bag, that I could remind myself to be aware and proactive instead of being unconscious and reactive.

The constant reading definetely coloured my thought process to the point where I was able to practice being in an aware state as much as possible with its resultant proactive behaviour.

This is what I believe to be swadhyaya or self-study in hinduism , which is one of the niyamas or daily observances recommended by Patanjali for spiritual development.

Action follows thought, and right action follows right thought. Thus it is important to ensure that the thought process is cultured and refined through swadhyaya ,i.e study of knowledge and its contemplation. The right thought process creates the right actions.

Of course, for being in the state of awareness or mindfulness, the right thought process is that which understands the futility of thought in realising the unknown or the truth, thus leading to the cessation or suspension of thought for realising the state of awareness or mindfulness or no-mind.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Have you ever tried to find out what science says about it?

 

[ajay0]

Have you ever tried to find out what science says about it?

Namaste,

About what, if I am ask !

 

[Aupmanyav]

About Consciousness: Consciousness - Wikipedia, Consciousness - Wikipedia

 

[ajay0]

About Consciousness: Consciousness - Wikipedia, Consciousness - Wikipedia

At the moment, I am more interested in the spiritual-religious perspective along with its applications in smoothening out human relationships and bringing harmony at an individual and collective level.

I don't think modern science have gone deeply into Consciousness at the moment, from what I have read, though I understand that modern psychiatry has a favourable opinion of Mindfulness from this article.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I don't think modern science have gone deeply into Consciousness at the moment, ..

That is not a very correct stance. One-sided study will give you a one-sided view.

 

[ajay0]

That is not a very correct stance. One-sided study will give you a one-sided view.

I have gone through books and expert papers on consciousness in science, but I find it lacking in depth.

At the moment, I am just interested in the spiritual -religious perspective, though I am open to the latest developments in the scientific field with respect to the study of consciousness.

My only worry is that these would not find applications for defence purposes and creation of corresponding weapons, in the way atomic science and rocket technology have gone for creating nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of destroying the world many times over.

 

[Aupmanyav]

At the moment, I am just interested in the spiritual -religious perspective, though I am open to the latest developments in the scientific field with respect to the study of consciousness.

My only worry is that these would not find applications for defence purposes and creation of corresponding weapons, in the way atomic science and rocket technology have gone for creating nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of destroying the world many times over.

That sort of satisfies me. Your worry is legitimate. Even more knowledge about consciousness could be used for wars. We are, in a way. destroyers - of whatever we touch - Bhasmasuras.

 

[ajay0]

Guruji, please comment on this: Act, don’t react.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is very simple. When you react, what happens? You regret afterwards. Reaction happens through an emotional upsurge. When someone says something you don’t like, your emotions swell up. Anything you do in an emotionally disturbed state, you repent afterward. When emotions are on peak, the intellect goes in background. Your actions are from the intellect and your reactions are from emotions.

Emotions when properly employed can bring happiness and creativity in life, while improperly employed through lack of discrimination or discretion can result in reactions leading to regressive conflict and strife .

Through Awareness, one goes beyond the realm of conditioned likes and dislikes, attain better self-mastery, and cultivate a progressive positive attitude in all situations and circumstances in life.

 

[Martin]

Interesting discussion. For me, actually noticing that I'm reacting is usually enough to "defuse" the reaction, or at least put it in perspective.

 

[ajay0]

A situation becomes stressful only when you compulsively react to it. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev


If you shift from compulsiveness to consciousness, being joyful will not be an effort. ~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Stress and tensions are generated when one reacts unconsciously or compulsively to situations with a negative attitude. This actually displays poor self-management.

On the other hand by consciously responding to situations with a positive attitude, we would be in a better position to solve it, and at the same be joyful in the process.

At times, we may not be able to control the external situation or circumstances, but the state of consciousness and attitude are the controllables we have in our hands, and which we can work upon and optimize for better results.

 

[JustGeorge]

Stress and tensions are generated when one reacts unconsciously or compulsively to situations with a negative attitude. This actually displays poor self-management.

On the other hand by consciously responding to situations with a positive attitude, we would be in a better position to solve it, and at the same be joyful in the process.

At times, we may not be able to control the external situation or circumstances, but the state of consciousness and attitude are the controllables we have in our hands, and which we can work upon and optimize for better results.

I'm having difficulty with this. I've had quite a few situations recently in which I internally was anxious to the point of feeling physically ill, but I went out on display with a smile and a joke... And played a convincing role, too.

Acting joyful didn't make me joyful. It made me tired. And the stress remained, even if I didn't let it out. If I was present with what was with me mentally at the moment, it would have heightened the problem. Sometimes consciousness brings unpleasantness, and while I believe its okay to 'sit' with these negative feelings, acting on them isn't always desirable.

How do you think situations like these are best handled?

 

[ajay0]

I'm having difficulty with this. I've had quite a few situations recently in which I internally was anxious to the point of feeling physically ill, but I went out on display with a smile and a joke... And played a convincing role, too.

Acting joyful didn't make me joyful. It made me tired. And the stress remained, even if I didn't let it out.

See, I think you went out with a smile and joke even when feeling physically ill and anxious, due to the demands of etiquette. This obviously is much better than being reactive and showing a negative attitude which would have damaged your relationships and created more issues for you.

So your relationships are intact due to your prudence and self-discipline which is commendable.

If I was present with what was with me mentally at the moment, it would have heightened the problem. Sometimes consciousness brings unpleasantness, and while I believe its okay to 'sit' with these negative feelings, acting on them isn't always desirable.

How do you think situations like these are best handled?

Being present with what was mentally at the moment means not to express whatever you maybe feeling, but to witness all feelings, emotions and thoughts in your mind without identifying with them.

By creating a gap between yourself and the thinking-emoting process, you will not blindly identify with them and keep a healthy distance from them. With practice, you can attain a degree of mastery over your mind, which also brings with it peace, bliss and genuine positivity which are the natural characteristics of the true Self or higher self.

Most of our thoughts and emotions are usually unnecessary or useless or harmful as they cause incessant worrying and consequent physical issues psychosomatically speaking. You can see this for yourself if you keep a book registering every thought that you think for a day or two( which is a practice recommended by some spiritual teachers).

Thinking of the past and future can be done for practical reasons , such as for planning, calculation , measuring and so on.

Incessant thinking based on past emotional memories should be avoided however.

You may find this article on Self-awareness by spiritual teacher Jan Frasier insightful in this regard...

Being Conscious

Of course there’s such a thing as useful thought, the kind that has nothing to do with keeping the ego going. Practical thought does not cause emotion. It is applied to a purpose: making a plan for a trip, studying a new language, figuring out how to repair something that’s broken. (Of course, the ego can find all kinds of ways to get in an uproar while these episodes of practical thinking are occurring. Like getting mad at the broken thing, or becoming frustrated because you can’t figure out how to fix it. In which case, unconsciousness has taken over. But it isn’t inevitable that it will always do so.) ~ Jan Frazier

 

[JustGeorge]

See, I think you went out with a smile and joke even when feeling physically ill and anxious, due to the demands of etiquette.

I assure you I did no such thing for the sake of etiquette! I have no manners...

Really, I just wanted the folks around me to feel better. If I'd succumbed to my baser emotions, it would have made it worse.

I guess at this point, its just keeping up the practice to keep myself separate from the emotions...

 

[Aupmanyav]

Acting joyful didn't make me joyful. It made me tired.

Why did you act like a film star? You are not one. The best answer that I will suggest is this prayer (I may not be quotng the exact words) : "God give me strength to change what I can and accept that which I cannot change."

 

[JustGeorge]

Why did you act like a film star? You are not one. The best answer that I will suggest is this prayer (I may not be quotng the exact words) : "God give me strength to change what I can and accept that which I cannot change."

I acted like a film star because to wail and stomp my feet would have made the problems worse. I find this is often the case. I like to solve problems, not magnify them. In these recent cases, it was something I could, and did, change. If I had displayed the emotions I was feeling, we'd still be dealing with the problems. But, it can sure be tiring... I guess work is work.

Perhaps its a shame I hadn't gotten into acting when I was young and pretty... perhaps I missed my calling.

 

[ajay0]

I assure you I did no such thing for the sake of etiquette! I have no manners...

Really, I just wanted the folks around me to feel better. If I'd succumbed to my baser emotions, it would have made it worse.

Obviously this is what good manners is all about, being considerate about the other sincerely.

If you had expressed your baser emotions like some do under the influence of negativity induced by stress, you could have damaged your relationships.

I guess at this point, its just keeping up the practice to keep myself separate from the emotions...

The practice of present moment awareness or witnessing your thoughts and emotions can help you to keep yourself separate from them rather than being bolted to them.

This is also an importance practice in Hinduism wherein the consciousness is purified of its cravings and aversions or raag-dvesh that is the source of all inauspicious negativity, reactivity and emotivity.

Totally purified consciousness is considered to be the auspicious, enlightened state in Hinduism as Brahman is but pure consciousness.