What is Negativity?
The mind does not always get attracted to negativity! Let us understand what negativity is. When would you call something “negative”? When it does not give you pleasure When it gives you a lot of pain When it appears to give you pleasure but gives you pain Let us take, for example, smoking. Smoking appears to give you pleasure, but it does not give you pleasure. Look at the faces of all those people who smoke.. Are they in bliss and serenity? Are they happy and content? No! There is stress and anger. Now, why is it that they are unable to give up smoking? It is because it promises you pleasure but gives you pain – that is negativity. So, what is the definition of negativity? It is that which appears to give you pleasure, but in fact, gives you pain and suffering.
Why Does The Mind Tend to Cling to Negativity?
The mind clings to negativity because it has moved away from its true nature. A child does not do that – so it is not our innate nature to cling to negativity. It has become our second nature. If you hear 10 positive compliments and 1 negative criticism, the mind clings to the criticism. So, it is wrong to say that negativity is our innate nature, no! It appears as though it is our nature, but it has become our second nature because of stress. The mind craves some things and is averse to other things – that’s alright. But at least for some time, the pendulum of the mind can stop. When it stops, it feels so nice, and that is why the practice of Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation is important. These practices change the tendency of the mind from clinging to negativity. The mind swings between cravings and aversions, and it needs some rest sometimes, and doing these spiritual practices will bring that calmness to the mind. Also, wisdom gradually helps one get rid of all the cravings and aversions of the mind.
How to Rise Above Negativity
Embrace the Worst: Empowering Individuals to Transform the World
World suppose the worst of the world is given to you; what would you do with it now? You cannot complain if you get the worst. You can only complain if you don’t get the worst. If the world is at its worst, then it can only get better and you are here to make it better.
What happens when you have to do it all by yourself — no one comes to help? Do you do everything by yourself? There are three options: Frustration and complaining. Take credit that you did it by yourself — thank others for not helping so that you could take all the credit. (Laughter) Be grateful, pray deeply, and know that you get all the energy needed to do it all alone. There is only one doer.
Conflict Resolution: Cultivating Harmony in Every Situation
Conflict when you are in a harmonious environment your mind picks up any excuse to be in conflict. So often small things are enough to create big turmoil. If you have a conflicting environment you tend to seek harmony … Have you noticed this? Ask yourself this question: Do you seek harmony in every situation or do you seek to widen the differences and prove your righteousness? When your survival is at stake, you don’t complain that nobody loves you. When you are safe and secure you start demanding attention. Many people create conflict to get attention.
Discovering the Power of Nothingness: Finding Love and Wholeness
You Are Nothing! Misery Each experience completes. Completion means leading to void or nothing. In the progression of life, you will leave behind every experience saying, “This is nothing.” Anything that is completed loses its importance. That is to say, it leads you to void – this is nothing. A sign of intelligence is how soon you arrive at this understanding. Examine everything in life and say “This is nothing” and what remains after all is Love, and that is everything. When “This is nothing” does not come out of knowledge, it comes out of misery. Either through knowledge or through misery, you come to the point of “This is nothing, this is nothing”. The choice of how you come to that point is yours.
Transcending Pleasure-Seeking: Unleashing True Centeredness and Fulfillment
Pleasure The mind that is seeking pleasure cannot be centered. You either seek pleasure or come to me. When you are centered, all pleasures come to you anyway, but they are no longer pleasures. They lose their charm. The mind that seeks pleasure can never achieve the highest. From your side give licence to everybody to talk about anything, about anybody, anywhere, at any time. Exercise — Talk maximum negativity about everybody this whole week. This is a challenge.
From Gross to Subtle
Harnessing the Power of Acceptance and Transformation.
The mind lives on more. Misery starts with “more and more”. Misery makes you dense and gross. Self is subtle. To go from gross to subtle, you go through the finest relatives… the atom. To overcome aversion, hatred, jealousy, attraction or entanglements, you have to go to the atom. Going to the atom means accepting a teeny tiny bit of all this. It may be difficult to accept something that you don’t like but you can accept a teeny tiny bit (an atom) of it. The moment you accept that one atom, you will see change happen. This has to be done in a meditative state. Suppose you love someone. You want more and more of them. Yet there is no fulfilment. In Anu Vrat (the vow of an atom), you take just one atom of that person and that is enough to bring fulfilment to you. Though the river is vast, a little sip quenches your thirst. Though Earth has so much food, just a little bite satisfies your hunger. All that you need is teeny tiny bits. Accept a teeny tiny bit of everything in life, which will bring you fulfilment.
Conclusion
Negativity needs an anchor Negativity Negativity cannot remain without support. Positivity and happiness can be without any reason. The mind goes on trying to find support for its negativity. It looks for a hook to hang its negativity on – if not this person, then that thing or that person and so on. This perpetuates the Maya!
The creeper of negativity needs support to grow. But negativity or aversion for even one person can guarantee a one-way ticket to hell – you need nothing else! All negativity is a pointer to move to the center and broaden the vision of cosmic intelligence.
Instead of focusing your attention on support for your negativity, look at the seed of negativity.At least for some time, take out some time for yourself and move towards the center,with the practice of Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation and Sudarshan Kriya you will be able to overcome negativity in your life. Learn to meditate on your own in Sahaj Samadhi Dhaayn Yoga or learn the Sudarshan kriya taught in the Happiness Program by the Art of Living.
Don’t fight with the negative emotions and don’t befriend them either
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
