One-Pointedness!

One-Pointedness!
by Kambra McConnel

Sat Chit Ananda Guru Ki Jay

“Emotions are not real. Only the energy behind emotions is real.” ~ Kedarji

In Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga, Kedarji instructs us to ask ourselves: “Am I enjoying my emotions, or are my emotions enjoying me? Am I a slave to my emotions?”

As Kedarji utters, “Most people ride the emotional roller coaster, and they are unable to master all of the energies of their lives, particularly because they are slaves to their emotions. We understand the fact that it is very important for people to experience humanity, and to express their humanity. But there is absolutely a way to express your humanity without becoming a slave to your emotions.”

And that way is The Arc.

The Arc

Through his Grace and spiritual leadership, Kedarji instructs a time-honored, proved Principle and Practice that we call The Arc.

Kedarji utters, “The Principle of the Arc states that the understandings you reach for and embrace will always dictate how you feel in the moment, and subsequent emotions that you experience, from moment to moment. And that will dictate how you are vibrating from moment to moment—meaning what you are projecting or putting out into Consciousness. And that always dictates who and what you attract into your life—people, situations, and circumstances. The Practice of The Arc really enables people to move out of becoming enslaved by their emotions, into a state in which they can express emotions freely, while sustaining the experience of the Indescribable Joy of the Self.”

Emotional Resilience

An essential step for practicing The Arc is to imbibe Kedarji’s 4 Pillars of Joy in Daily Living: The Spiritual Power, Improved Mental State, Emotional Resilience, and Vibrant Health. Kedarji offers these 4 pillars as a frame to help people experience permanent spiritual transformation over time, through continuous, steady, daily spiritual practice.

In my direct experience, I always find that practicing The Arc is essential for Emotional Resilience, the third pillar of Kedarji’s 4 Pillars of Joy in Daily Living. As Kedarji utters, “The emotions are very powerful, and if not directed properly, then emotions can keep the mind in a prison of agitation. The challenge is to be able to feel and express the emotions without becoming a slave to them.”

Whether I experience Emotional Resilience or not depends on how much I imbibe the first 2 pillars—The Spiritual Power and Improved Mental State. In addition, the strength of my Emotional Resilience also directly affects my experience of Vibrant Health.

Understandings Dictate Feelings

My experiences of engaging in selfless service as a volunteer to support our non-profit organization’s mission always generate many examples of how The Arc helps me build Emotional Resilience in order to direct my Spiritual Power to improve my mental state and fortify vibrant health. Cumulatively, these experiences of selfless service give rise to permanent spiritual transformation, when combined with other daily spiritual practices over many years.

For instance, one morning, my mind was very restless, and I was so focused on the future (rather than on the present moment) that I unintentionally left my house one hour early (very early) in the morning – and therefore, I unintentionally arrived one hour early to perform selfless service.

I typically drive more than one hour to get to our school, and much of my driving time is on major highways. On this particular morning, as I drove, I held the understanding that I would arrive right on time. However, my Emotional Resilience wavered when my restless mind led me to worry about whether something unexpected, like construction or a traffic accident might make me late. My mind was in a future that did not exist.

And at the same time, I worried about my speed. Maybe a state trooper had set a speed trap somewhere along the route? Again, the activity of my mind was in a future that did not exist.

Then, my mind drifted to a past that was gone. I lamented a bodily injury that I sustained decades ago, yet symptoms still flare up from time to time, and this was one of those days when my physical body felt symptomatic. While I worried whether my symptoms would interfere with my ability to perform selfless service that day, I also allowed my restless mind to wander even further into a past that was long gone.

My heart sank at the memory of a doctor who had made mistakes with my medical care. I felt angry about how I had recently learned that two of his patients had won a large malpractice lawsuit against him. I had crossed paths with this doctor several years before these two patients; I had confronted the doctor after my incident, and he had apologized for his mistakes. I had told the doctor that I never wanted to hear that he had negligently treated another patient ever again, and he had given me his word; however, it appears that he had continued to repeat the same mistakes.

And then, I felt my heart lift, and tears of joy welled up in my eyes when, with gratitude, I remembered the doctor who ultimately helped me resolve the medical issue that my body experienced. What Grace!

Emotions Dictate Your Vibration

Clearly, I was riding the emotional roller coaster. And as soon as I became aware of that, my Emotional Resilience returned because I reached for The Spiritual Power and practiced The Arc to Improve my Mental State.

I observed how I had “time traveled” over more than 20 years. My thoughts had traveled from past to future, while my eyes mundanely remained focused on the road in front of me, in the present. The thoughts that I chose to hold in the present moment fueled a variety of emotions. And in the past, the thoughts that I had chosen to reach for had absolutely set in motion the people, situations and circumstances that I encountered thereafter.

I contemplated how, in the present moment, the thoughts that I chose to ruminate over right now were taking my mind off the road, even as my eyes mundanely remained on it.

Had I not set my car on cruise control, and had I not engaged heightened spiritual Witnessing Awareness to observe the activity of my restless mind and rein it in, I may well have attracted a speeding ticket!

Your Vibration Determines What You Attract

So, I redoubled my effort to quiet my restless mind by listening to one of my favorite Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga chanting CDs, and I began to repeat a mantra that Kedarji had given to me, inwardly and silently to myself.

My mind felt calmer, quieter and more content, and I completed my journey without incident. I even felt great Joy—and felt energized and inspired to contemplate and to journal the fruits of my contemplation—when I realized that I had actually arrived one hour early!

But before sitting to contemplate, I felt inspired to get a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop. While waiting in line, I saw a beautiful dog.

When I stopped to say hello to the dog on my way out of the coffee shop, I commented to the gentleman who was watching him, “Your dog’s eyes are so beautiful!” The dog gave me a cautious look, briefly sniffed my hand, and then immediately resumed staring at the coffee shop door with a completely one-pointed focus.

The gentleman told me that the dog (“Diesel”) was a rescue dog who was still very shy. He went on to say, “Diesel is looking at the door because he is wondering why he is with me, his ‘uncle,’ outside…while his ‘dad’ is still inside the coffee shop.” And aside from briefly glancing at me, Diesel never took his eyes off that door. He never took his eyes off of his master.

One-Pointed Effort

Diesel’s one-pointedness caught my attention, and I felt inspired to reach for The Spiritual Power again for an Improved Mental State and Emotional Resilience.

I felt awe when I observed Diesel’s strong concentration. What Grace! It reflected back for me an awareness of how I, too, always benefit from maintaining a one-pointed focus on my spiritual leader’s instruction for how to engage in my daily spiritual practices, in order to quiet the energy and activity that fuels my restless mind and subsequent emotions and vibrations, from moment to moment throughout my day! So, I resolved to redouble my effort.

And shortly thereafter, while performing selfless service…and while continuously repeating my mantra inwardly and silently…I felt more and more Love, Peace and Joy inside…the Indescribable Joy of the Self!

Then, the symptomatic flare-ups in my body (which I had mentioned earlier) totally calmed down. I felt less pain, more energetic, and I experienced Vibrant Health once again.

Indeed, as Kedarji utters, it is not the emotions that are real, but instead, it is only the energy, the Shakti power, behind emotions that is real.

Om Guru Om!

 Kambra McConnel is the Treasurer of The Bhakta School of Transformation. She sits on our Board of Directors and also volunteers as a certified staff teacher and program leader for Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga.