From Alaska to Vegas. A total contrast! Silent natural outdoors to a loud manmade indoors! A test of pratyahara.
- in eternal aum consciousness
- Jun 17, 2024
- 7 min read
Landing:
As we landed in Vegas, after a few days in Dallas, the hot dry Vegas air in June baked us slowly. This was a total contrast to the hot and humid climate of Mumbai, and the cold and dry Alaskan weather!
Tesla ride:
The ride to the trump international hotel was through the strip, where most of the casinos are. The number plate of our taxi read. Iluvtesla! Incidentally, both our uber rides were teslas, from and to the airport! A nice coincidence. This was our first telsa ride, with a ultra large screen near the driver.
Man made oasis:
Vegas is a man made gambling "oasis", the the middle of Nevada desert. this is an example of what man can achieve with freedom. Freedom to gamble, freedom to build the biggest experiences, freedom to offer unlimited choices of food, drinks and more. Freedom to travel, freedom to stay, freedom to spend!
Wide range of visitors:
I could see many people gambling, eating, drinking, walking, dancing, singing. The young, the old, the singles, the couple's, the families, the friends. People from all nationalities coming to Vegas to experience the magic of the city.
A contrasting state:
after the absolute peace in alaska, this was a total contrast for the senses. Loud in every sense. Here there are ample avenues to exalt every sense to create magical experiences.
Bright lights and opulent buildings, interiors led boards for the visual senses
widest range of buffets you can imagine with a extensive world cuisne spread for taste.
The best of the best music, vocal and instrumental for the hearing
Soft beds for a soothing touch.
Subtle fragrances added to the fresh indoor air.
Amazing shows:
These sensory inputs are all together in sync at the wonderful show at the sphere, the circqe du sollil and the infocomm show 2024, we attended in our short two days stay in Vegas. Here are some pictures of the venues which five a faint idea of what the experience was all about.
The ability to consume is limited:
In the sensory overload, i actually realised the limited ability to consume.
I had a vast spread of food in front of me. I could only consume what my stomach allowed. A few times a day.
I had a huge range of audio visual extravaganza, i could only consume what my eyes and ears could take, before they got tired.
I had a large comfy bed. I could only sleep for the duration my body needed rest for.
As stated in earlier blogs, knowing about something is one thing, but experiencing, thinking and realising it is another. To realise, one has to immerse oneself with awareness in the experience.
The sense withdrawal, pratayahra:
Pratayahra is the withdrawal of senses from external objects and turning them inwards. Without pratyahara, the other 3 steps of dharna dyana and samadhi are not possible, as the mind will keep getting distracted with thoughts originating from sensory inputs. The 5th step of yoga, pratayahara in yoga is the most difficult one.
Most of the people on the path of yoga fail to progress beyond this stage, as following yoga methods, this is really tough. The yoga method of sense withdrawal is as difficult as climbing a mountain, coming to a cave like feature and getting over the cave, swinging and landing above the cave, up side down, and somehow not losing you grip! Does it remind you of Tom cruise and the first mission impossible movie? I did to me!
However the first 4 stages of Yama, niyamas, asana and pranayama help a lot in this process.
There are possibly two ways to control and withdraw the senses.
1. In nature, like we did in alaska. Possible for someone who is a monk to spend long years in nature.
2. Consumption to a point where there is sensory fulfillment which may be accompanied by sensory fatigue. Possible for someone who is surrounded by means of enjoyment, with no other purpose in life.
However both ways are not practical for us as we have other roles to play in life. We have a role of CEO, parent, child, friend, relative, spouse etc.
We can't simply withdraw the senses and shut our eyes to the world around us.
We also can not over consume, as it can have adverse effect on the body, energy, mind triade system. And if we only indulge the senses, what about our roles? We will not be able to fulfill them.
So i wondered what is the way ahead? Is there a easier way to fulfill the roles and also achieve pratyahara?
As explained earlier, the 4 margas; gyana, bhakti, yoga and karma are the 4 tools in the toolbox.. It is here that gyana comes of tremendous use.
Negating the mind and senses:
The easiest and practical way in to realise this with the following logic.
i see an external object via senses, i am not the external object. My senses are interpreted by the mind, hence i am not the senses. My mind is in awareness, hence i am not the mind. My awareness is in consciousness. Hence I am not the awareness. I am consciousness. This is a simple logical method to know that you are not the mind, influenced by senses. You are the self.
The duality of nothing and everything:
The realization in anchored with nirvanashatam that is nothing, manifested as Anahata naada
and
following the fourth shloka of shiv manaspuja, Nana vishayopbhog rachana ...the external world is for enjoyment of the shiva within me.
Link of nirvanashatam
Link of anahata naada
Link of shiv manaspuja
Realisation of opposite States:
The seeming contrast of inner silence and external noise is the manifestation of the same consciousness.
I realised that l, in the chaos of Vegas and the silence of alaska, the connection to the inner self is the same.
In fact silence and sound are the manifestation of the same energy. When you have sound, there are tiny moments of silence, this is precisely what is frequency about. At higher frequencies, the silent durations are more in number and smaller in duration. But they remain. So in alaska the low frequency silence was present..in Vegas high frequency should was present. They are perceived differently. That's all.
Similarlyly light and darkness have two sides of the same coin. One can not exist without the other. Darkness exists without light and light exists without darkness. In between there are shades of grey.
Uniformity in diversity:
The key is the be aware of the underlying uniformity in the apparent diversity of the material manifestations.
Acceptance:
This leads one to acceptance of experiencing the things as they are, without any attachements or aversions. Light is not better than darkness or vice versa.
Real pratyahara:
This is the real pratahara, not by forcing the senses inward, but by accepting, understanding and knowing. Even if the senses are active with their inputs, the mind is anchored and does not get excited or depressed. It only observes as a witness. This is an effortless state, which with awareness, existed for a few minutes at a time in Vegas.
This was a unique realization in the Vegas trip, in the context of the recent Alaskan trip.
In the mountains or in the drink:
I realised that ice is water, whether frozen as in the mountains, or being added to a glass of whiskey in Vegas! Only the place, form and manifestation is different. In reality, it is water!
Grip of Maya:
As the mind is engrossed in roles and in the illusion (Maya) that i am the role, the realisations come in a flash in the moment, when the mind is anchored to the anahata sound, in silence.
To keep the state in awareness, continued anchoring is needed.
Time to alter lifestyle:
The desire to consume is reducing day by day, as the purpose of consuming to maintain the body and energy becomes clear.
To entertain the mind, there is no need to consume. This will help reduce the excess energy spent in consumption, which has not real value.
This is possibly, making me ready for a new intermittent fasting based lifestyle, as the intuition is stronger to do this. It's not about willpower to follow the diet plan and fighting the temptations to go off it. It's the perspective of consuming for maintaining the body and energy, while the state of mind in anchored with om.
I foresee that with this this approach, reduced weight, better fitness, more capability to act for loka kalyananam will manifest. Time will tell, the direction and intensity. The intention is set now.
Know and then do. It's faster:
It is a fact that for someone who knows, doing is very quick. For someone who does not, doing is a function of many trial and error steps, many of which may not yield any result.
The more you resist your mind, your senses, your emotions, the more is the struggle. The more you understand, better the flow, less the struggle.
I have seen many seekers doing lot of sadhana or practises and actions for the journey ahead. However there is actually no journey, only events to witness with inner intuition.
Having said this, do follow your own path, as no two individuals and their paths are the same.
Hence the need of a guru, who guides one on one like a phd guide. Not a graduate class in university. However to get to this level, lot of self study and preparation is needed.
One of the 5 niyamas in yoga is swadhyaya, meaning to study with ones own effort. This is the key to understand the principles by which the further actions are simplified. Study, debate, discuss, reflect, experience and then believe that experience.
Action ahead:
Sitting in a busy street on a bench, connect to your inner self. Once you do this, the need to spend time alone in nature will also fade away, as that is also a desire!
Blessing:
May you be in nirguna nothing state like in nirvanashatakam and enjoy everything being shiva like in shiv manaspuja, while adding tremendous value to others lives!
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