INTEREST VERSUS INTENSITY
What is the difference between intensity and interest?
Interest comes from the mind. Intensity comes from the being.
An interest can be lost, but never the intensity. After a while, maybe short or long, you get fed up with your own interest. With intensity, it is a thirst of your being. It transcends the rationale of your logic. Intensity is a call from deep within. The more you have to wait for it, the more the thirst grows, and the more the fire flares up.
See the difference between light and laser. Both are made up of the same light rays, but the single-pointed intense focus of the laser comes from the coherence, and the common frequency of the light rays.
The power of this intensity is what gives the laser the tremendous power to even burn a hole through metal. At the same time it is a controlled focus. This is what gives it the power to do even a delicate task like removing a cataract in the eye.
A beautiful story from the life of an enlightened Master Bayazid:
Bayazid had been with his Master for twelve years, but the Master had not spoken a single word to him.
One day after twelve long years, the Master spoke to Bayazid, 'Go to the hall. There is a book there. Bring me the book.' Bayazid had been passing through that hall for twelve years every single day while coming to see the Master.
He replied, 'I have never seen the book. In fact, I have never looked in the hall. I was interested only in you, not in anything else. But, if you say I will go.' The Master replied, 'No. Stay.'
Bayazid's whole interest had turned into focused intensity. His whole interest was just the Master. The Master said, 'There is no need for the book. I was just trying to find out how completely focused you are.'
That night, the Master told Bayazid, 'Tonight sleep here.' Bayazid lay down by the side of the Master, but he could not sleep. He was filled with so much intensity, his mind completely stopped in that intensity.
Next morning Bayazid was dead. A new man had emerged. No instruction was ever given. He just had to wait for twelve years. That was the method for him.
Not twelve years, but even twelve million lives are worth waiting for the Ultimate that the Master leads you into.
If it was just an interest, there was no way Bayazid could have stayed on for twelve years without even a word from the Master. Naturally, his mind would have strongly protested saying, 'What are you doing here? You are just wasting time. Nothing has happened till now. He is not even interested in you. How long are you going to waste your time like this?'
It is the intensity that holds you, because deep down you understand, not twelve years but even twelve million lives are worth waiting for the Ultimate that the Master leads you into. Even that would actually be cheap.
INNER WORLD INTENSITY
We tend to feel a terrible restlessness towards the outer world, 'I have not done this, I have not done that' and so on. The same restlessness when it is directed to the inner world it is called intensity.
You do not know what is happening, you do not know what should be done, but the deep dissatisfaction about what is there in the inner space is what I call intensity.
If your consciousness is constantly moving towards the outer world, it is called restlessness. If it is moving towards the inner world, it is called intensity.
You may be wondering why I am teaching dissatisfaction. I am supposed to teach satisfaction, right? I tell you, your dissatisfaction, which is now directed towards the outer world, has to turn towards the inner world, and only then will it will lead to satisfaction.
The first thing that needs to happen is not satisfaction but the turning of direction, the psychological revolution. Restlessness should become intensity.
If it is towards the outer world, if your consciousness is constantly moving towards the outer world, it is called restlessness. If it is moving towards the inner world, it is called intensity.
Intensity is intensely being inside you.
Whether we lead or whether we follow, in order to be fulfilled in whatever we do, we need to be intense.
TECHNIQUE: EXPERIENCE INTENSITY THROUGH THE BREATH
A small story:
A Zen master and a disciple were walking along the banks of a river. The disciple, as he had done a few times before, asked the master very longingly, 'Master, please give me enlightenment.'
Suddenly the master turned, held the disciple's head in his hand and pushed it into the river. The disciple was shocked and started struggling to get his head above water. The master continued to strongly hold his head in the water. Now the disciple started gasping for breath. The master then released the surprised and completely shaken disciple.
The master asked, 'Do you feel you want enlightenment with the same intensity that you felt you needed air to breathe, when your head was in the water?'
Only when the urge becomes urgent, when the question becomes a quest, does the Ultimate happen. The key factor needed for enlightenment to happen is intensity.
ABOUT THE TECHNIQUE
Below is a technique to shift your focus from the outer world to the inner world to experience intensity through the breath.
In this meditation, we focus on the neutral zone in breathing. The neutral zone is the gap between two breaths. This gap is the space of pure Consciousness. There are two neutral zones.
When the incoming breath takes a turn inside your body to become the outgoing breath that is one neutral zone.
When the outgoing breath takes a turn outside your body to become the next incoming breath, that is the other neutral zone.
These neutral zones are the space of great potential. In these neutral zones, life takes a turn to become death, and death takes a turn to become life!
The neutral zone is the silent space between life and death. In this zone, you experience yourself as the consciousness that is beyond life and death.
Your incoming breath is life. Your every incoming breath floods you with life-energy.
Sometimes, even a single desire can bring life to you. For example, on a weekend, you may be sleeping late. You don't feel like getting out of bed. But suddenly, you may remember some friend whom you wanted to see. This single thought can bring your whole body alive. You will jump out of bed and be ready to run.
This life-energy is coming to you in the gap between the incoming and outgoing breath.
When you inhale, your body is infused with life energy. Before you exhale, in the gap between inhaling and exhaling, your whole system is vibrating with life. Whenever you are flooded with energy, be aware that it is happening in this neutral zone.
In the same way, your outgoing breath is death. Your every outgoing breath brings you greater intelligence.
Understand, whenever something is taken away from you and you reconcile yourself to it, you are flooded with intelligence. If you lose something, immediately you are given some message, some understanding about life, and that adds to your intelligence.
This intelligence is coming to you in the gap between the outgoing and incoming breath.
When your breath leaves the body, in the gap before it takes the turn and returns to your body – in this space, you are flooded with intelligence. Whenever you are flooded with intelligence, be aware that it is happening in this neutral zone.
Every moment, you have both energy and intelligence. You are functioning as both energy and intelligence.
At one moment, you are flooded with iccha shakti, the power of desire. The next moment you are flooded with kriya shakti, the power of action. One moment you are flooded with energy, the next moment you are flooded with intelligence. If you can be aware of the gap, you will achieve jnana shakti or the power of wisdom.
The whole binary system is based on this constant flux – the duality of intelligence and energy, energy and intelligence: zero-one, one-zero!
Constantly, in your inner space, matter and energy are dancing. The power of desire and the power of action are both dancing in your inner space. Not only inside you, but also in the entire cosmos, this dance is happening.
This is what we call the cosmic dance of Shiva (intelligence) and Shakti (energy). The whole movement of the Cosmos is nothing but this dance.
This grand Cosmic dance is what you experience so intimately, in every breath! The Divine is constantly enjoying itself, expressing itself in your inner space. If you can be aware in the neutral zones, you will experience this eternal consciousness.
DURATION
21 minutes
INSTRUCTIONS
Sit straight, preferably on the ground. Close your eyes. Inhale and exhale as slowly as possible and as deeply as possible.
Step 1: (3 minutes) Slowly, very slowly, put your attention only on the incoming breath. Be aware of the incoming breath.
Step 2: (3 minutes)
Now slowly, put your attention only on the outgoing breath.
Step 3: (15 minutes)
Now forget about the incoming breath and the outgoing breath. Slowly, very slowly, put your attention between the two breaths. Just be aware of the gap, the neutral space between the breaths. Keep your attention on the gap between the breaths.
When the incoming breath becomes the outgoing breath, in the neutral zone, become aware. This is the time when you are flooded with energy.
When the outgoing breath takes a turn and becomes the incoming breath, again be aware of the gap. This is the time when you are flooded with intelligence.
In the neutral zones, you are being constantly flooded with energy and intelligence. Continuously be aware of both these zones. The whole day, let your awareness stay in these two spaces.
When you watch both the gaps of your breath, when you are aware of both the gaps, you will be constantly flooded with energy and intelligence. When your awareness rests undisturbed in the gaps, you rest in eternal consciousness and turn your vision from the outer world to the inner world.
2. DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO INTENSITY