Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Lecture notes of Law

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Deepak Chopra

The Seven

spiritual

laws

of

Success

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• The law of pure potentiality
• The Law of Giving
• The law of ìkarmaî or cause and effect
• The law of least effort
• The law of Intention and Desire
• The law of Detachment
• The law of ìdharmaî or purpose in life
• Summary and conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Although this book is titled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, it could also be called The Seven Spiritual Laws of Life, because these are the same principles that nature uses to create everything in material existence ó everything we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. In my book, Creating Affluence: Wealth Consciousness in the Field of All Possibilities, I have outlined the steps to wealth consciousness based on a true understanding of the workings of nature. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success form the essence of this teaching. When this knowledge is incorporated in your consciousness, it will give you the ability to create unlimited wealth with effortless ease, and to experience success in every endeavour. Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progres- sive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease. And yet success, including the creation of wealth, has always been considered to be a process that requires hard work, and it is often considered to be at the expense of others. We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence, which is the abundant flow of all good things to you. With the knowledge and practice of spiritual law, we put ourselves in harmony with nature and create with carefulness, joy, and love. There are many aspects to success; material wealth is only one component. Moreover, success is a journey, not a destination. Material abundance, in all its expressions, happens to be one of those things that makes the journey more enjoyable. But success also includes good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom, emotional and psychological stability, a sense of well-being, and peace of mind. Even with the experience of all these things, we will remain unfulfilled unless we nurture the seeds of divinity inside us. In reality, we are divinity in disguise, and the gods and goddesses in embryo that are contained within us seek to be fully materialized. True success is therefore the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us. It is the perception of divinity wherever we go, in whatever we perceive ó in the eyes of a child, in the beauty of a flower, in the flight of a bird. When we begin to experience our life as the miraculous expression of divinity ó not occasionally, but all the time ó then we will know the true meaning of success. Before defining the seven spiritual laws, let us understand the concept of law. Law is the process by which the unmanifest becomes the manifest; itís the process by which the observer becomes the observed; itís the process by which the seer becomes the scenery; itís the process through which the dreamer manifests the dream. All of creation, everything that exists in the physical world, is the result of the unmanifest transforming itself into the manifest. Everything that we behold comes from the unknown. Our physical body, the physical universe ó anything and everything that we can perceive through our senses ó is the transformation of the unmanifest, unknown, and invisible into the manifest, known, and visible. The physical universe is nothing other than the Self curving back within Itself to experience Itself as spirit, mind, and physical matter. In other words, all processes of creation are processes through which the Self or divinity expresses Itself. Consciousness in motion expresses itself as the objects of the universe in the eternal dance of life. The source of all creation is divinity (or the spirit); the process of creation is divinity in motion (or the mind); and the object of creation is the physical universe (which includes the physical body).

These three components of reality ó spirit, mind, and body, or observer, the process of observing, and the observed ó are essentially the same thing. They all come from the same place: the field of pure potentiality which is purely unmanifest. The physical laws of the universe are actually this whole process of divinity in motion, or consciousness in motion. When we understand these laws and apply them in our lives, anything we want can be created, because the same laws that nature uses to create a forest, or a galaxy, or a star, or a human body can also bring about the fulfillment of our deepest desires. Now letís go over The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and see how we can apply them in our lives.

The source of all creation is pure consciousness, pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And when we realise that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe. In the beginning there was neither existence nor non-existence, All this world was unmanifest energy... The One breathed, without breath, by Its own power Nothing else was there... ó Hymn of Creation, The Rig Veda

T

he first spiritual law of success is the Law of Pure Potentiality. This law is based on the fact that we are, in our essential state, pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is pure potentiality; it is the field of all possibilities and infinite creativity. Pure con- sciousness is our spiritual essence. Being infinite and unbounded, it is also pure joy. Other attributes of consciousness are pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, invincibility, simplicity, and bliss. This is our essential nature. Our essential nature is one of pure potentiality. When you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have, because you are the eternal possibility, the immeasurable potential of all that was, is, and will be. The Law of Pure Potentiality could also be called the Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is the unity of one all- pervasive spirit. There is no separation between you and this field of energy. The field of pure potentiality is your own Self. And the more you experience your true nature, the closer you are to the field of pure potentiality. The experience of the Self, or ìself-referral,î means that our internal reference point is our own spirit, and not the objects of our experience. The opposite of self-referral is object-referral. In object-referral we are always influenced by objects outside the Self, which include situations, circumstances, people, and things. In object-referral we are constantly seeking the approval of others. Our thinking and our behaviour are always in anticipation of a response. It is therefore fear-based. In object-referral we also feel an intense need to control things. We feel an intense need for external power. The need for approval, the need to control things, and the need for external power are needs that are based on fear. This kind of power is not the power of pure potentiality, or the power of the Self, or real power. When we experience the power of the Self, there is an absence of fear, there is no compulsion to control, and no struggle for approval or external power. In object-referral, your internal reference point is your ego. The ego, however, is not who you really are. The ego is your self-image; it is your social mask; it is the role you are playing. Your social mask thrives on approval. It wants to control, and it is sustained by power, because it lives in fear. Your true Self, which is your spirit, your soul, is ^completely free of those things. It is immune to criticism, it is unfearful of any challenge, and it feels beneath no one. And yet, it is also humble and feels superior to no one, because it recognizes that everyone else is the same Self, the same spirit in different disguises.

The law of pure potentiality ∂ 7

Thatís the essential difference between object-referral and self-referral. In self-referral, you experience your true being, which is unfearful of any challenge, has respect for all people, and feels beneath no one. Self-power is therefore true power. Power based on object-referral, however, is false power. Being ego-based power, it lasts only as long as the object of reference is there. If you have a certain title ó if youíre the president of the country or the chairman of a corporation ó or if you have a lot of money, the power you enjoy goes with the title, with the job, with the money. Ego-based power will only last as long as those things last. As soon as the title, the job, the money go away, so does the power. Self-power, on the other hand, is permanent, because it is based on the knowledge of the Self. And there are certain characteristics of self-power. It draws people to you, and it also draws things that you want to you. It magnetizes people, situations, and circumstances to support your desires. This is also called support from the laws of nature. It is the support of divinity; it is the support that comes from being in the state of grace. Your power is such that you enjoy a bond with people, and people enjoy a bond with you. Your power is that of bonding ó a bonding that comes from true love. How can we apply the Law of Pure Potentiality, the field of all possibilities, to our lives? If you want to enjoy the benefits of the field of pure potentiality, if you want to make full use of the creativity which is inherent in pure consciousness, then you have to have access to it. One way to access the field is through the daily practice of silence, meditation, and non-judgment. Spending time in nature will also give you access to the qualities inherent in the field: infinite creativity, freedom, and bliss. Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to simply Be. Experiencing silence means periodically withdrawing from the activity of speech. It also means periodically withdrawing from such activities as watching television, listening to the ra- dio, or reading a book. If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, this creates turbulence in your internal dialogue. Set aside a little time every once in a while to experience silence. Or simply make a com- mitment to maintain silence for a certain period each day. You could do it for two hours, or if that seems a lot, do it for a one-hour period. And every once in a while experience silence for an extended period of time, such as a full day, or two days, or even a whole week. What happens when you go into this experience of silence? Initially your internal dialogue becomes even more turbulent. You feel an intense need to say things. Iíve known people who go absolutely crazy the first day or two when they commit themselves to an extended period of silence. A sense of urgency and anxiety suddenly comes over them. But as they stay with the experience, their internal dialogue begins to quieten. And soon the silence becomes profound. This is because after a while the mind gives up; it realizes there is no point in going around and around if you ó the Self, the spirit, the choice-maker ó are not going to speak, period. Then, as the internal dialogue quietens, you begin to experience the stillness of the field of pure potentiality. Practicing silence periodically as it is convenient to you is one way to experience the Law of Pure Potentiality. Spending time each day in meditation is another. Ideally, you should medi- tate at least thirty minutes in the morning, and thirty minutes in the evening. Through medita- tion you will learn to experience the field of pure silence and pure awareness. In that field of pure silence is the field of infinite correlation, the field of infinite organizing power, the ultimate ground of creation where everything is inseparably connected with everything else.

The Seven spiritual laws of Success ∂ 8

As you gain more and more access to your true nature, you will also spontaneously receive creative thoughts, because the field of pure potentiality is also the field of infinite creativity and pure knowledge. Franz Kafka, the Austrian philosopher and poet, once said, ìYou need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait. You need not even wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.î The affluence of the universe ó the lavish display and abundance of the universe ó is an expression of the creative mind of nature. The more tuned in you are to the mind of nature, the more you have access to its infinite, unbounded creativity. But first, you have to go beyond the turbulence of your internal dialogue to connect with that abundant, affluent, infinite, creative mind. And then you create the possibility of dynamic activity while at the same time carrying the stillness of the eternal, unbounded, creative mind. This exquisite combination of silent, un- bounded, infinite mind along with dynamic, bounded, individual mind is the perfect balance of stillness and movement simultaneously that can create whatever you want. This coexistence of opposites ó stillness and dynamism at the same time ó makes you independent of situations, circumstances, people, and things. When you quietly acknowledge this exquisite coexistence of opposites, you align yourself with the world of energy ó the quantum soup, the non-material non-stuff that is the source of the material world. This world of energy is fluid, dynamic, resilient, changing, forever in motion. And yet it is also non-changing, still, quiet, eternal, and silent. Stillness alone is the potentiality for creativity; movement alone is creativity restricted to a certain aspect of its expression. But the combination of movement and stillness enables you to unleash your creativity in all directions ó wherever the power of your attention takes you. Wherever you go in the midst of movement and activity, carry your stillness within you. Then the chaotic movement around you will never overshadow your access to the reservoir of creativity, the field of pure potentiality.

APPLYING THE LAW OF PURE POTENTIALITY

I will put the Law of Pure Potentiality into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps: (1) I will get in touch with the field of pure potentiality by taking time each day to be silent, to just Be. I will also sit alone in silent meditation at least twice a day for approximately thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the evening. (2) I will take time each day to commune with nature and to silently witness the intelli- gence within every living thing. I will sit silently and watch a sunset, or listen to the sound of the ocean or a stream, or simply smell the scent of a flower. In the ecstasy of my own silence, and by communing with nature, 1 will enjoy the lire throb of ages, the field of pure potentiality and unbounded creativity. (3) I will practice non-judgment. I will begin my day with the statement, ìToday, I shall judge nothing that occurs,î and throughout the day I will remind myself not to judge.

The Seven spiritual laws of Success ∂ 10

The Law of

Giving

The more you give, the more you will receive, because you will keep the abundance of the universe circulating in your life. In fact, anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given. That which doesnít multiply through giving is neither worth giving nor worth receiving. If, through the act of giving, you feel you have lost something, then the gift is not truly given and will not cause increase. If you give grudgingly, there is no energy behind that giving. It is the intention behind your giving and receiving that is the most important thing. The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and receiver, because happiness is life-supporting and life-sustaining and therefore generates increase. The return is directly pro- portional to the giving when it is unconditional and from the heart. That is why the act of giving has to be joyful ó the frame of mind has to be one in which you feel joy in the very act of giving. Then the energy behind the giving increases many times over. Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others to become materially affluent. In fact, the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. This principle works equally well for individuals, corporations, societies, and nations. If you want to be blessed with all the good things in life, learn to silently bless everyone with all the good things in life. Even the thought of giving, the thought of blessing, or a simple prayer has the power to affect others. This is because our body, reduced to its essential state, is a localized bundle of energy and information in a universe of energy and information. We are localized bundles of consciousness in a conscious universe. The word ìconsciousnessî implies more than just energy and information ó it implies energy and information which is alive as thought. Therefore we are bundles of thought in a thinking universe. And thought has the power to transform. Life is the eternal dance of consciousness that expresses itself as the dynamic exchange of impulses of intelligence between microcosm and macrocosm, between the human body and the universal body, between the human mind and the cosmic mind. When you learn to give that which you seek, you activate and choreograph the dance with an exquisite, energetic, and vital movement that constitutes the eternal throb of life. The best way to put the Law of Giving into operation ó to start the whole process of circulation ó is to make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something. It doesnít have to be in the form of material things; it could be a flower, a compliment, or a prayer. In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation, and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, and they donít cost you anything. When you meet someone, you can silently send them a blessing, wishing them happiness, joy, and laughter. This kind of silent giving is very powerful. One of the things I was taught as a child, and which I taught my children also, is never to go to anyoneís house without bringing something ó never visit anyone without bringing them a gift. You may say, ìHow can I give to others when at the moment I donít have enough myself?î You can bring a flower. One flower. You can bring a note or a card which says something about your feelings for the person youíre visiting. You can bring a compliment. You can bring a prayer. Make a decision to give wherever you go, to whomever you see. As long as youíre giving, you will be receiving. The more you give, the more confidence you will gain in the miraculous effects of this law. And as you receive more, your ability to give more will also increase. Our true nature is one of affluence and abundance; we are naturally affluent because nature supports every need and desire. We lack nothing, because our essential nature is one of pure

13 The law of Giving ∂

potentiality and infinite possibilities. Therefore, you must know that you are already inherently affluent, no matter how much or how little money you have, because the source of all wealth is the field of pure potentiality ó it is the consciousness that knows how to fulfill every need, including joy, love, laughter, peace, harmony, and knowledge. If you seek these things first ó not only for yourself, but for others ó all else will come to you spontaneously.

APPLYING THE LAW OF GIVING

I will put the Law of Giving into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps:

(1) Wherever I go, and whoever I encounter, I will bring them a gift. The gift may be a compliment, a flower, or a prayer. Today, I will give something to everyone I come into contact with, and so I will begin the process of circulating joy, wealth and affluence in my life and in the lives of others. (2) Today I will gratefully receive all the gifts that life has to offer me. I will receive the gifts of nature: sunlight and the sound of birds singing, or spring showers or the first snow of winter. I will also be open to receiving from others, whether it be in the form of a material gift, money, a compliment, or a prayer. (3) I will make a commitment to keep wealth circulating in my life by giving and receiving lifeís most precious gifts: the gifts of caring, affection, appreciation, and love. Each time I meet someone, I will silently wish them happiness, joy, and laughter.

The Seven spiritual laws of Success ∂ 14

Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind... what we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happi- ness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success. Karma is the eternal assertion of human free- dom.... Our thoughts, our words, and deeds are the threads of the net which we throw around our- selves. ó Swami Vivekananda

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he third spiritual law of success is the Law of Karma. ìKarmaî is both action and the consequence of that action; it is cause and effect simultaneously, because every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. There is nothing unfamiliar about the Law of Karma. Everyone has heard the expression, ìWhat you sow is what you reap.î Obviously, if we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness. Therefore, karma implies the action of conscious choice-making. You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. Some of these choices are made consciously, while others are made unconsciously. But the best way to under- stand and maximize the use of karmic law is to become consciously aware of the choices we make in every moment. Whether you like it or not, everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices youíve made in the past. Unfortunately, a lot of us make choices unconsciously, and therefore we donít think they are choices ó and yet, they are. If I were to insult you, you would most likely make the choice of being offended. If I were to pay you a compliment, you would most likely make the choice of being pleased or flattered. But think about it: itís still a choice. I could offend you and I could insult you, and you could make the choice of not being offended. I could pay you a compliment and you could make the choice of not letting that flatter you either. In other words, most of us ó even though we are infinite choice-makers ó have become bundles of conditioned reflexes that are constantly being triggered by people and circumstances into predictable outcomes of behaviour. These conditioned reflexes are like Pavlovian condi- tioning. Pavlov is famous for demonstrating that if you give a dog something to eat every time you ring a bell, soon the dog starts to salivate when you just ring the bell, because it has associated one stimulus with the other. Most of us, as a result of conditioning, have repetitions and predictable responses to the stimuli in our environment. Our reactions seem to be automatically triggered by people and circumstances, and we forget that these are still choices that we are making in every moment of our existence. We are simply making these choices unconsciously. If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices, then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconscious

The Seven spiritual laws of Success ∂ 16

realm into the conscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice-making and witnessing is very empowering. When you make any choice ó any choice at all ó you can ask yourself two things: First of all, ìWhat are the consequences of this choice that Iím making?î In your heart you will immedi- ately know what these are. Secondly, ìWill this choice that Iím making now bring happiness to me and to those around me?î If the answer is yes, then go ahead with that choice. If the answer is no, if that choice brings distress either to you or to those around you, then donít make that choice. Itís as simple as that. There is only one choice, out of the infinity of choices available in every second, that will create happiness for you as well as for those around you. And when you make that one choice, it will result in a form of behaviour that is called spontaneous right action. Spontaneous right action is the right action at the right moment. Itís the right response to every situation as it happens. Itís the action that nourishes you and everyone else who is influenced by that action. There is a very interesting mechanism that the universe has to help you make spontane- ously correct choices. The mechanism has to do with sensations in your body. Your body experiences two kinds of sensations: one is a sensation of comfort, the other is a sensation of discomfort. At the moment you consciously make a choice, pay attention to your body and ask your body, ìIf I make this choice, what happens?î If your body sends a message of comfort, thatís the right choice. If your body sends a message of discomfort, then itís not the appropriate choice. For some people the message of comfort and discomfort is in the area of the solar plexus, but for most people itís in the area of the heart. Consciously put your attention in the heart and ask your heart what to do. Then wait for the response ó a physical response in the form of a sensation. It may be the .faintest level of feeling ó but itís there, in your body. Only the heart knows the correct answer. Most people think the heart is mushy and senti- mental. But itís not. The heart is intuitive; itís holistic, itís contextual, itís relational. It doesnít have a win-lose orientation. It taps into the cosmic computer ó the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge, and infinite organizing power ó and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought. You can use the Law of Karma to create money and affluence, and the flow of all good things to you, any time you want. But first, you must become consciously aware that your future is generated by the choices you are making in every moment of your life. If you do this on a regular basis, then you are making full use of the Law of Karma. The more you bring your choices into the level of your conscious awareness, the more you will make those choices which are spontaneously correct ó both for you and those around you. What about past karma and how it is influencing you now? There are three things you can do about past karma. One is to pay your karmic debts. Most people choose to do that ó unconsciously, of course. This may be a choice you make, also. Sometimes thereís a lot of suffering involved in the payment of those debts, but the Law of Karma says no debt in the universe ever goes unpaid. There is a perfect accounting system in this universe, and everything is a constant ìto and froî exchange of energy. The second thing you can do is to transmute or transform your karma to a more desirable experience. This is a very interesting process in which you ask yourself, as youíre paying your karmic debt, ìWhat can I learn from this experience? Why is this happening and what is the message that the universe is giving to me? How can I make this experience useful to my fellow human beings?î

17 The law of Carma or Cause and Effect ∂

The law of least

effort

Nature 5 intelligence functions with effortless ease... with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease. An integral being knows without going, sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing. ó Lao TZU

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he fourth spiritual law of success is the Law of Least Effort. This law is based on the fact that natureís intelligence functions with effortless ease and abandoned careful ness. This is the principle of least action, of no resistance. This is, therefore, the principle of harmony and love. When we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfill our desires. If you observe nature at work, you will see that least effort is expended. Grass doesnít try to grow, it just grows. Fish donít try to swim, they just swim. Flowers donít try to bloom, they bloom. Birds donít try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nture. The earth doesnít try to spin on its own axis; it is the nature of the earth to spin with dizzying speed and to hurtle through space. It is the nature of babies to be in bliss. It is the nature of the sun to shine. It is the nature of the stars to glitter and sparkle. And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form, easily and effortlessly. In Vedic Science, the age-old philosophy of India, this principle is known as the principle of economy of effort, or ìdo less and accomplish more.î Ultimately you come to the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything. This means that there is just a faint idea, and then the manifestation of the idea comes about effortlessly. What is commonly called a ìmiracleî is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort. Natureís intelligence functions effortlessly, fric-tionlessly, spontaneously. It is non-linear; it is intuitive, holistic, and nourishing. And when you are in harmony with nature, when you are established in the knowledge of your true self, you can make use or the Law of Least Effort. Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When you seek power and control over other people, you waste energy. When you seek money or power for the sake of the ego, you spend energy chasing the illusion of happiness instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. When you seek money for personal gain only, you cut off the flow of energy to yourself, and interfere with the expression of natureís intelligence. But when your actions are motivated by love, there is no waste of energy. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates ó and the surplus energy you gather and enjoy can be channeled to create anything that you want, including unlimited wealth. You can think of your physical body as a device for controlling energy: it can generate, store, and expend energy. If you know how to generate, store, and expend energy in an effi- cient way, then you can create any amount of wealth. Attention to the ego consumes the greatest amount of energy. When your internal reference point is the ego, when you seek power and control over other people or seek approval from others, you spend energy in a wasteful way. When that energy is freed up, it can be rechanneled and used to create anything that you want. When your internal reference point is your spirit, when you are immune to criticism and unfearful of any challenge, you can harness the power of love, and use energy creatively for the experience of affluence and evolution.

The Seven spiritual laws of Success ∂ 20