Dr. Rajesh Bhola
India
Dec 07, 2012
India
Dec 07, 2012
Life is a matter of relationships – not accomplishments or acquisitions. Nothing brings greater joy than the people whom the almighty has placed in our life’s journey. A child’s little touch, the embrace of a wife, interaction with friends, the laughter within our homes – nothing compares to these. Relationships provide unparalleled fulfilment. And nothing brings greater heartache than the breakdown of these relationships. When relationships do not work, the pain is immense.
To
maintain good relationships with other people, a person should first
have a good relationship with the almighty. Fellowship with Him—the
vertical dimension of life—is a pre-requisite to fellowship with other
people on the horizontal plane. The horizontal dimension is
concerned with the preoccupations of money, work, security, advancement –
everything material. The vertical dimension is attainment on the
spiritual front, and the thought of being one with everything.
This meaningful thought takes us to a higher purpose of life. It enables us to reflect on our being, rather than having.
It makes us enjoy the quality of every moment of our life, rather than
weigh the quantity of what we get. Understanding the vertical dimensions
of the personality is fundamental to our individual growth and
evolution. It is also core to the evolution of consciousness. If we
think of spirituality in this worldly and horizontal way, we simply
bring the sublime down to the mundane. What is required is the reverse –
to raise everything mundane to the vertical sublime.
It seems paradoxical to the person caught on the horizontal dimension. The more we have, the happier we think we will be. The vertical path begins with giving up some things.
On the vertical dimension, most of the things the horizontal lovers
cherish seem like an unnecessary burden. How can one rise to the heights
while carrying so much baggage? The vertical dimension is unconditional.
It means that one will not take refuge in accumulation of money,
security, status, and all the things that constitute the horizontal way.
If everyone moves up on the spiritual health level, keeping the thought
of a higher purpose in mind, we will be able to let go of the feelings
that otherwise lead to greed, hate and conflict. This shift from the horizontal to the vertical dimension is enlightenment.
If we let our focus drift back to the past, or forward to the future, we are functioning in the horizontal dimension. Entering the vertical dimension requires a high degree of ‘presence’. The ‘now’ needs to be the main focus of our attention;
though we should not to be limited to that dimension alone. In space
consciousness, there is no future and no past – only the present. This
is called “emptiness”, because it is an opening into the vertical
dimension – that has no limit. The arising of space consciousness—a
shift to vertical rather than horizontal awareness—is the next stage in
the evolution of humanity. It is then possible to experience a fresh
spirit of perception. Enhanced awareness of the immediate natural
environment has a very powerful influence on the psyche. To be mindful is to keep in mind.
The
way human beings behave is partly because we do not appreciate the
incredible resources and beauty that exists within us, and in our
relationships, within all the realms of our consciousness. If we realise
that this earth is a Garden of Eden (on a horizontal plane as well), we
have everything we need to become completely happy and blessed. We
should, however, keep some sense of the vertical dimension, to attain
that transcendence, to catapult ourself into a higher realm—away from
the delusion of everyday life—to a position where we think well of
others, and become useful in the world.
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