21 Days Mindfulness Practice - Day 18

In day 18 of this 21-day series, we'll draw from past experiences with nature meditation. Today's practice takes its significance from the number 18 and its many things it symbolizes across different cultures.

Transcript

Welcome to Day 18 of the 21 Day Meditation Series.

And today I am speaking to you from a very very sweet place in this world.

And I know many of you have done our nature meditations.

So you have some of that sweet spot flowing through you wherever you live.

And now you can share that magnificently with the rest of the world.

And Day 18 has a lot of significance.

Let's just talk about some of these other aspects of 18.

In Hebrew,

The Hebrew word for life or alive is 18.

In China,

8 is considered to be lucky number.

In ancient Romans,

The number 800 symbolized a blood relative.

There are 18 chapters in the Bhagavad Gita,

The most ancient scriptures of India.

And in that scripture,

It talks about a war which had 18 armies.

11 were on the Kaurva side which is the bad guys and 7 on the Pandwa side which is the good side.

In Chinese,

Number 18 is known as Chi Pei and it can also be read as Ya Pei meaning that the one is going to prosper.

In many countries and many cities,

18 is the age when you are termed as an adult.

You are considered from moving from minor to major.

There are so many different things and significances of 18.

It's the number of holes in a golf game.

But the bottom line is today is Day 18.

So let's take this magnificent day of celebration and accomplishment and turn it into something even more special.

Let's make it the most powerful launching pad for taking us to the next level through what I refer to as the software of the soul.

You see essentially we live our life in action that's also referred to as karma.

And every action leads us to memories.

In Sanskrit that's referred to as Ahankara and those memories they lead us further towards desires.

And in Sanskrit these desires are referred to as Vasanas.

So you've moved from karma to Ahankara to Vasana and then back to karma.

In other words action,

Memory,

Desires.

Action,

Memories,

Desires.

And if you want to visualize it,

Visualize action on a clock of 12 and visualize memories at 4.

Visualize desires at 8.

So we move from action which is at 12 to memories and then to desires and then back to action.

For example,

We may go to a restaurant with a friend and we have a really really delicious meal and so after the meal we say to ourselves we have this memory and wow we just loved being here with each other and the food was really really good.

And that leads us to have a desire to hang out again a little bit more with that friend.

Or maybe we say to ourselves I will come to this restaurant again,

Both of us.

And then you again come to that restaurant again which leads to that action.

So this circle of memories and actions and karmas keeps on going on and on.

And these memories they keep recording inside our soul and this is what is referred to as the software of the soul.

Where we keep on moving from action to memory to desire and to the next action.

But there are a lot of times in life when we find ourselves in a rut,

Perhaps stuck in this karmic hamster wheel of life.

Maybe you've been going to the same job for 15 years,

That's the action.

And when we are driving home we say to ourselves I hate this job,

Really it's not nurturing me or helping me.

And that leads you to the desire to have another job,

To move on or to shift to something in your life.

But you're not willing to take any step in actual to make that happen.

And so the next day you again go to the same job.

And the only way we can possibly change what's going on in our life is to change the desire.

And so that's why before we meditate we ask ourselves today three questions.

Who am I?

What do I want?

And what is my dharma or the purpose in life?

So let's do this right now.

Before we do anything else let's just close our eyes and ask ourselves the question.

Who am I?

And for a minute silently ask yourself that question.

Okay.

Okay,

Next let's ask ourselves what do I want?

What do I want?

And the Bhagavad Gita,

It says that we have total control over our own actions but no control over the fruit of those actions.

Which means we only control our words,

Our thoughts and our deeds or our actions.

And those need to be of a very higher level.

And the alignment of our words,

Our thoughts and deeds,

It's all about our control.

Everything else is an outcome.

And we just leave it.

We just leave it to the universe to work out the details.

And we just do one thing which is to bring our awareness,

Our attention and intention to our words,

Our thoughts and our deeds.

So we ask that second question,

What do I want?

What do I want?

And whatever flows,

Flows.

Then we ask the third question,

What is my purpose?

What is my Dharma?

And if you are not sure about that,

We've got a very special Dharma meditation which will come later.

And if you are not sure,

Ask yourself,

How can I help others?

How can I heal others?

How can I serve others using my unique gifts and my special talents?

And this may take some time.

So before you meditate,

Always ask yourself these three questions.

And then just let the answers come.

Take 45 minutes,

45 seconds to a minute.

And whatever comes,

Let it come.

And then just release it.

Don't bring these questions into your meditation.

You've already planted those intentions within you.

So just leave it to the universe to reply.

Leave it to your soul to sort it out the details.

So let's go back to that question,

What do I want?

What do I want?

And this is where we go back to our vastness,

Our desires.

And in that hamster wheel of life,

In that software of the soul paradigm,

We are an element of the soul.

And that action leads to a memory which leads to a desire.

That leads to the next action.

And the way to change our life is just to change our desires.

You have to become very clear of what it is that you want.

And I recommend you to just write it down.

And before you go into meditation,

Maybe you go into meditation before you go to bed and after you wake up in the morning,

Take a look at that.

What do you want?

What do I want?

And it might be material things,

It might be physical,

Emotional,

Spiritual,

Whatever it is that you really really want.

And when you are looking at that clock which has action at 12 mark,

Memory at 4 and desire at 8,

That's the thing we change.

What is our desire which is at 8?

And when you write what is your desire and being very specific with that desire,

Then you start leaning in that direction of that desire.

That is when you change your actions.

And this will become more nurturing and more conscious.

And so even though that action may be writing a resume right now,

Because I want to change my job.

And then the memory says,

This is why I never wrote that resume before.

And then your desire being,

I really need to get a new job.

And then you're actually being and I'm going to start going on interviews.

And then your memory will come,

This is so painful,

That's why I never went on and that's why I've been trapped in this job for 15 years.

But ultimately one of those interviews will pay off if you take that action and that will create a new memory.

And you say wow,

This could be so amazing if I could just have a new job.

You just need to bring a new desire,

A new focus,

A little more leaning towards that desire,

A little more attention on one aspect of your life.

You can create desire for your job,

For your business,

For your relationship life,

Your love.

It might be financial life.

It might be your spiritual life,

Family life,

Hobbies,

Sports,

Physical,

Physical health,

Might be anything.

And we can transform the world by transforming ourselves.

So let's just close our eyes right now and bring your awareness to one desire that you have.

And place your hand,

Place your right hand on your heart and just know,

Just feel that desire right now.

And now slowly walk yourself from that desire into your next action.

Visualize it and vision it that you are taking action.

This video which is going on in your mind,

Who is there in that video?

What are you wearing?

How are people looking at you?

What are you talking?

How are you feeling?

And vision yourself actually performing this new action which is totally new to you.

You've never done it before.

And this moment you are breaking out of what's previously constrained you and it did not serve you because of the software in the soul.

So follow it up through in your mind's eye a new image.

From that desire to that action to a future memory.

What will that memory be?

And keep on doing it again and again.

To reinforce it and move it further and drift to the desire.

You might go to the same desire or a new desire and then flow into action and slowly this will flow into your karma.

So now for the first next few minutes,

Few moments,

See your life change in your mind's eye as you move from desire to the next action to the next memory and then to the next desire.

Enjoy your day.

Om Shanti!

I am the master of myself.

I am complete.

I have control over my life.

You can stop flowing with your software of the soul.

You can just move to being satisfied.

Have a smile on your face.

Knowing that you can change your software of the soul.

From moving from action to memories to desires to new actions to transform you in this moment,

In this meditation.

Just take a deep breath in and let go.

Now let's seal the software of the soul by chanting AUM together.

Take a deep breath in.

AUM When it feels comfortable you can slowly open your eyes.

Look around all these thousands of people with whom you shared this collective consciousness today.

And then know that you transformed the world because you've transformed yourself.

Enjoy this feeling.

And this is Sumit wishing you an amazing day with your desires leading to actions that lead to memories and new desires that nurture and fulfill you.

AUM Shanti!

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you. That was very insightful. 🙏💕

Fantastic. My favorite of the series so far.