Each moment, the individual is part of the flow of Infinite that winks in and out of the prism of the finite. Daily life is a medley of strokes, partly conscious and partly unconscious. As the show goes on, personal goals get reconfigured and refined in adaptation aligned to the times.

Self-integration paves the way to equanimity and balanced growth. As the individual becomes meditative, tuning individual notes to the universal orchestra around him; potential unfolds, melody arises and magic happens.

While busily engaged daily in purposeful action, the core of the heart gets settled in meditative non-action. This inner core of stillness and repose expands outwards, extending as rays of unique insight and skillful response that benefits everyone.

The combination of practice and experimentation, insight and imagination, perception and intuition leads to evolutionary growth. The inner-critic dissolves as the inner guru wakes up.

Following the words of Gautama the Buddha, man endeavors and becomes to a light to himself. He evolves over time, enhancing his skillful response in contexts, professional and personal. There is constant learning through the rises and falls of the journey.

Intent, will and energy moderated by progressive values fosters evolutionary growth. Driven by priorities, sometimes it is not clear whether it is a movement from darkness to light or from darkness to greater darkness.

For example, the elevating experience of higher consciousness states may be followed by a litany of errors. Long spells of melancholy, reflecting the dark night of soul, may well lead to the pink dawn of consciousness, transforming the caterpillar to a butterfly!

Organic processes appear slow, but are precise and steady, driven by morphic resonance with subtler fields of all-embracing fullness, richness and excellence.

Buddhist-lore mentions four types of life-journeys: that of moving from darkness to light, darkness to greater darkness, light to darkness and light to greater light.

While the man and woman who in partial light may regress; the selfless-being moves from light to greater light. It is said that this is sustained by life-long practice, coupling of compassion with insight and the inscrutable grace of Bodicitta.

Diversity is embedded in all of Nature. Individual life-journeys appears different and yet are the colourful threads in the unified carpet of the universe. Acceptance of life 'as it is' prevents expectations, minimizes delusions, confers peace of mind.

The dawn of clarity ensures right things getting done the right way. The fruit of meditativeness is the birth of insight followed by the gift of tranquility and rapture. Suffering dissolves as the fallacies of the mind get deconstructed.

The true face of one’s own faults are seen, perceived as the stubborn patterns of the mind that create the avalanche of afflictions. Changing oneself is discovered as the golden key to changing everything else.

Regular practice bears fruit. Cognitive knots loosen up, one becomes aware of desires based on delusion, anguish based on imagination and dissapointments based on misplaced expectations.

Delving deeper, the over-estimation of personal capability, skills and resources is perceived. Insight dawns in states and stages. The knots get untied and disappear in clear light.

The practioner who earnestly starts the practice need not worry. He need not despair that the stream of consciousness of the happy child, once flowing like a mountain stream, has frozen over time into a sheet of toughened glass.

A promising future awaits, as described in the scriptures. They provide the diamond-cutter tool that cuts through the most impenetrable habit-patterns of the mind. Filth becomes manure leading to spring blossoms. Meditativeness flows, purifies and elevates consciousness. Individual notes blend together creating ease and harmony.

The signposts and graded interpretations provided in scriptures; the sagacity of teachers; the warm company of fellow-practioners light up the path which turns pathless as all things are embraced in wonder, joy and unity.

There is moving away from misconceptions of objects, time and space; no more of delving unsatisfactorily into the essence of Nature and its constituents; nor the need felt to distinguish between knowledge and ignorance.

The Great Seal unlocks the doors of consciousness. Single-pointed, there is the seamless integration of morals-moderation-meditativeness leads to calm abidance. There is attainment of even taste in all experiences.

Mindfulness flowers in equanimity and repose, awareness remains one-pointed even as the body-mind aggregate is purposefully engaged in a variety of action. Regular practice generates wholesome benefits.

Body and mind gains relaxation response. A liberating clarity is born in the great pause. Slowing down leads to richer perception of the world. New horizons are revealed.

Right perception flows in skillful response flowering into flow. Pleasantness, bliss and ecstasy leap out from the dictionary to become a part of everyday life.

Metta enriches all sentient beings, corners and niches. The practice of meditativeness ends in the realm of non-meditativeness, where action flows into action-lessness, mind into no-mind.

Consciousness deepens, becoming as deep as the ocean, as wide as the sky.

It is the end of restlessness, doubt and wandering. The river of life flows in dynamic repose.

Grass grows by itself, all things get done, dissolving the distinction of samsara and nirvana.

Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam

May all beings be happy!

Written by: V. Nagarajan, based in Kolkata, India