Ushnika Vijaya is a goddess who “completely purifies all evil destinies / lower realms.” She is a Tibetan incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Durga–a symbol of harmonious Self Realization–in comparison to Kali, who represents the chaos that can result from resisting this process. Predicated upon this duality is the supposition that regardless of our conscious participation, the purpose of life/experience is Self Realization. Jung has named this process of self inquiry/introspection, Individuation: bringing unconscious beliefs and habitual behaviors into conscious and consistent awareness. Our willingness to participate or resist this process will determine if we have a “Durga” pleasant experience or a “Kali” chaotic one. Indifference can be an underlying factor of either extreme and does not necessitate a specific experience. It is our intention that discriminates, in this context.
From the Reticular Activating System to the hippocampus, neurology has shown that behavior is a physiological response to the way our bodies interact with their environment. Lack of sleep, dehydration and the effects of alcohol all inhibit the hippocampus and, thus, our inhibit-ions deteriorate. Because consciousness emerges nearly simultaneously with experience, it is tempting to interpret consciousness as a byproduct of behavior/learning, except that introspection (self inquiry) is not a bundle of learning processes.
The brain reorganizes information obtained for the senses and makes it linear, by the same function that we recall our dreams as a linear experience regardless of the order they were delivered.
Addiction/possession is when our desire for gratification is greater that our foreknowledge of the consequences. If we are constantly giving our senses power over mind, we are perpetually returning to the same spot in spite of our theoretical knowledge of progress.
The fields of the mind are cultivated through discipline. Only then can the seeds of awareness grow into a harvest of Self Realization.
Generally, Yang energy wants to solve problems while Yin energy wants to talk about them. Both are valid tools for navigating experience. An emphasis on Yang and we overlook better and/or long term solutions. An emphasis on Yin leads to idle talk and thinking. When utilized simultaneously, we discover the emergence of the most effective tool to navigate experience. We may learn from every situation we encounter by examining our motivation for identifying with experience rather than questioning conditions themselves. This method of self inquiry reaps endless value and meaning. Counterbalanced with a a meditation practice that dissolves thought and facilitates an experience of the absence of Self, is the essence of Ushnika Hedi Go.
Experience must always be considered an opportunity to learn. Learning is the basis for every experience. We may use the knowledge we have gained to moderate experience. The more we focus on personal identity, the further we drift away from our awareness of Self. As a result, the personal unconscious in expanding, as mirrored by the expansion of space.
Ego is the only one having an identity crisis.
A guru was asked, “Is it better to give into desire and try to learn something than be manipulated by desire and learn nothing?”
“It is better to try and learn something from having desires than giving into them.”
Often, the most effective way to diffuse a crisis is to reframe it.
Ego allows Self to experience itself. The byproduct of this interaction is consciousness.
Ego is not the enemy. The illusion/maya that forms our concept of identity is the “enemy.” “Ego death,” in actuality, would render most people incapable of functioning in the world, and the people who speak of “ego death” as though chasing the latest fad, are usually the people who believe there are shortcuts to Self Realization, and avoid repetition. Repetition is one of the most effective ways of learning, especially when repeating something you may not (initially) enjoy, which is essential, because when you engage in activity that is not pleasurable, you begin to hear how many thoughts are surfacing in mind on a consistent basis.
Ego identity rests on the sensory experience.
The sensory experience inebriates consciousness and distinguishes ego identity.
Our greatest advantage to maintaining the mind-body relationship is restoration of the Ego|Self axis.
While awareness of the senses is both easy and pleasurable, awareness of Self requires discipline and introspection, reinforcing the dualistic nature of creation, from the psyche to the cosmos. Even language is structured to reinforce our dependency on opposites–what was, wasn’t. You can do or not do. Something can be done or undone.
All experience is, to some degree, a state of trance. Between hedonism and monasticism is Ushnika Hedi Go, Maintaining Awareness in Trance States.
Iceland
Aperture of Brahma 