Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

 Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

     Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a technique of ‘Mind Management’. It is an age-old practice among the Hindus to gather in small groups on auspicious days like Saturday and Thursday at regular intervals and sing and clap for an hour with total devotion. The modern terms ‘Neuro’ stands for nerves (that represents behaviour), ‘linguistic’ is for language that means structure; and, ‘Programming’ as derived from computer science stands for creating ‘change’. Thus, NLP creates ‘structural behavioral changes’ in our attitudes using techniques like Meditation, creative Visualisation, and ‘auto-suggestion’ depending on the person’s mental map.  Here, the five senses can be controlled by the technique of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) according to Dr. Bandier and Dr. Grinder. All the successful persons use certain common traits with the help of the five senses.  These traits can be studied, decoded and programmed to produce success.

      According to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), if you have a negative memory you have to programme it out of your system. This can be done by sitting in a comfortable position, closing the eyes and listening to special mind power music and visualizing the event that the person wants to forget, like watching a movie. This helps one to forget all unwanted memories or sad events. Like re-winding a film, by this revisualization process, the negative energy associated with a particular memory goes into trash. This technique is very helpful in eliminating fear, emerging out of trauma, sad events, or tragic events like accidents and death.

       The visual, the auditory, and the kinesthetic are involved in the Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). A simple bhajan or a ‘sastang namaskar’ (prostrating, all parts of the body touching the ground) is the simplest method of NLP. If the whole family does this regularly it would give wonderful results. Meditation for a few minutes chanting “Om” and singing together clapping hands for a few minutes everyday is fine. It brings cohesion, understanding, mutual respect and affection and will greatly promote peace and happiness in the family. Spirituality rules and spirituality binds the family.

      Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) helps to keep the mind cool and fresh. It helps concentration and increases efficiency in all daily activities. In fact, this is a regular practice in any Hindu family.

       The origin of the Neuro-linguistic Programming is found in Rig Veda. Meditation and exercise, that is regularly practiced, enables one to vibrate with the energy of the universe. Diet is a very important factor in NLP. It has been observed that a certain kind of food interferes with the brain’s function and hence avoided. Extreme Rajasic and Tamasic foods, i.e., too hot or too cold a food are avoided; Sattvic food creates ideal conditions for noble thoughts and noble deeds.                                         

Need For Spiritual Life

      Where is the need for spiritual life if one is happy and contented? Yes, this is the most perplexing question. Most of the mortals are happy and contented; even if they are not happy, they are resigned to fate and live as their fate decides. Even in day-to-day struggle, it never occurs to them that there is a simple and beautiful way to get out of all this rut. It is sheer ignorance that they enjoy for 'ignorance is bliss' to these persons. Some spiritual leaders like Sri Madhwacharya and Sri Shankara are of the opinion that, ‘Divine Grace’is required to turn to Him. Without His grace, nothing can move. May be it is true that is the way many people think!

        In Vivekachudamani, Shri Shankara says, “a human birth, desire for emancipation, and contact with holy men- these three are very rare and are attained only through the Grace of the Lord”.

        ‘Divine Grace’ is something very powerful that steers your life out of all pitfalls and gives you ‘awareness’. Hence, it is not something that comes from outside but that is already within you. It is the light that shines when your sparke kindles it. It is the result of a pure mind and a pure heart (anthahkarana) that comes with love and sacrifice. It is self-luminous; it is always present behind Self-reliance and Self-surrender; it comes in the form of divine pulsations from within and only a strong mind can receive it. It can be felt only in the absence of ego. This requires total surrender to Him.   

            Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita, “abandoning all dharmas, take refuge in ‘Me’ alone; I will liberate you from all sins; grieve not”. ‘Not even a blade of grass waves without mu will’ [‘Trinamapi na chalati ………’]. Lord’s Grace is also not that easy to get. It is like the saying, ‘only the crying child gets the milk’. Only those who cry for Him will get His grace. Sant Tukaram did it; Gouranga or Chaitanya Maha Prabhu did it. Tears should flow down in utter submission and total desperation; only then will He turn towards you. Where is the need for all these? One may ask. Those who do not believe in God and those who think they are already happy and successful by their poorva punya and the Lord’s Grace think there is no need for crying. But Narada Bhakti Sutra clearly states that, ‘happiness and peace of mind are not sufficient; one should constantly think of the Lord both in happiness and distress. It is the ultimate goal of every human being. It is easy to live happily like any other animal; but if one has to cross the ocean of sansar one has to look to Him. Gita Govinda says:

                     “Punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam

                       Punarapi janani jatare shayanam…

                       …………………………………....

                       Iha samsaare bahu dustaare,

                       Kripaya saare, Pahi Muraare,

                       Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam,

                       Govindam Bhaja, Mudha mate ”.

        There are situations when your ego stands in your way to see Him. You desperately need Him; but your ego will not allow you to think of Him. It is here we all come to what is called  ‘living on the periphery’. There is no sense of purpose of life. There is no set goal. There is absolute complacency and a false sense of satisfaction. There is no internal urge to develop spiritual life since the mundane world has a firm grip and does not allow to get rid of it. That is the beauty of the ‘Mother Earth’!

          Mother earth is the Goddess Shri Lakshmi, the bestower of everything in this sensate world. She is beautiful and bountiful. She is the supporter, the inspiration to Sriman Narayana. She is the eternal source of wealth; and, any one who prays her, praises her, will get whatever one wants. The hold of the mother over the child is astounding! Once born on this earth, even to think of the other world is very difficult. The earth is gross and finite. It is this finite world that dictates all life and activities. But no one will believe that this world is unreal!

        This world is bound by space and time. Anything bound by space and time is finite and limited, a ‘make-believe’ world. Even the solid surface features of the earth that appear firm are not stable and give way with the earthquakes. Lofty features such as the mountains, plateaus and plains have changed over the geological time of thousands and thousands of Millenia.The rivers have changed their course and many a lakes have dried up. There have been major convulsions and revolutions in the earth’s cycle and the finest example is that of the Himalaya Mountains. These lofty mountains stand where once the Sea of Tethys stood. May be, one day our Great Ganga Plains will be raised up to lofty mountains and the Himalayas are eroded and denuded and reduced to an erosional plateau. When the lofty mountains are reduced by denudation what about the fragile life of the humans on this earth?

       The tragedy of human life is that man believes that everything is eternal and permanent. For even a second, man cannot believe that he is mortal and would die anytime, any day. This idea of permanency of status is derived from the same divine source, the eternal ‘Atman' who dwells in him. This taste of ‘Infinite’ nature is the taste that lingers in man and it is for this infinite status his subconscious lingers on. But to fathom it out is very difficult under the earthly conditions. Swamy Vivekananda used to repeat, ‘each soul is potentially divine, and the goal is to manifest the divinity within’.

       Both the body and mind are subject to constant change and cannot reach a state beyond change. But beyond the momentary sheath of gross matter, beyond the finer covering of the mind lies the ‘Atman’, the true Self of man, permanent and ever free. It is His freedom that is percolating through layers of thought and Matter; and in spite of this, the colourings of name and form is ever asserting its unshackled existence. This Atman is to be realised through faith, devotion and meditation. There is no doubt, it is the same Atman that shines in our souls and also shines in all souls. We all reflect the same Light. It is the one ‘Infinite’ spirit that manifests itself through all individual souls. Self-knowledge is the realisation that the individual self is part of the all- pervading spirit Sri Hari Narayana. Attaining it, all desires, even in the subtlest form, disappear. Once successful in this attempt, having attained this with the help of the enlightened ones, it is the duty to return to world to spread this divine knowledge, realization of God in man. It is this realization of the divinity that manifests in man is what is called true ‘Religion’.

        Ashtavakra Samhita is a very beautiful treatise on philosophy of life.  Having born one has to simply live; Living is an ordained duty or obligation to God, the Creator. There is nothing that one can do on the face of ‘prarabhdha karma’ and forces of ‘samskara’. But this does not mean total abandonment of one’s duty. One should live a contented life (nirlipta jeevana) of minimum needs. Remember, all knowledge leads to this!

        This is the ‘Keep Quiet Rule’ of Mind Management Technique (MMT). Keep quiet, or talk less if there is need to talk. Silence speaks much better than sound. There is a very interesting account of a rich and powerful person. He was going in the vicinity of an ashram and felt like meeting the saint. He went to him and asked him to tell him some secret mantra. The saint looked at him and smiled. Again this gentleman asked him to tell him quickly for he had no time to spare. Again, he smiled at him. When he persisted further, the saint said only one word “meditate’. The saint said, even uttering one word is half-truth and you have made me utter it. The more words you use, the more untruth will fall out. A meaningful glance or an all-knowing smile is enough. Never enter into discussion or argument. Take to meditation at the earliest opportunity and contemplate on Him. A wise man will never indulge in worldy affairs for he knows the futility of it all.

        We all know that Man is a human being; but, in reality, as men, neither we are ‘Human’ nor we know how to be a ‘Being’. Too much of ego, too much of senseless talks, arguments, take away our energy. These have no place in this philosophy of Self Realisation. We are always restless. We keep on dabbling in things consciously or without it. Keeping a calm and cool disposition with total awareness is the Mind Management Technique. Here, it is reiterated that ‘happiness is not rejoicing and unhappiness is being dull and morose. It is a state unperturbed by happenings- success or failure.

       Equanimity is ‘Sukha dukhe samekrutva, laabhaalaabhau jayaajayau’ [Bhagavad-Gita II.38]. It is maintaining equanimity under all circumstances. It is treating happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, and conquest and defeat with equanimity; One has to engage in battle (of life), thus he will not incur sin (sorrow). This is the way 2to be happy and successful. Happiness is normally believed to be a state of joyfulness with elated ego; extroverts expressing it in jumping, singing and dancing and introverts enjoying it within unmindful of the goings on in the outside world. Both the expressions are not happiness.  Happiness is a cool and contemplated, meditative mind, an undisturbed state of mind, a state of equilibrium. Neither jumping with joy, nor being morose and dull with sadness are stated to be real ‘happiness’. It may be called a ‘nirliptata’, happy and contented state of mind.

      There are two types of  ‘nirliptata’ or ‘simply being’; one, just like a fool who keeps quite for he knows not what to do and, the other, a Jnyani who knows that he is at the mercy of the Lord. A jnyani will neither brood about the past nor get anxious about the future. He just lives now and here, at the present. Past is dead and future is unborn. Arjuna was advised even to forget the episode of ‘Vishwaroopa Darshan’ and get down to the practical duty. Even ‘vision’ of the God will not bring one’s duty to an end, and one has to constantly remember Him and do his duty. Here, there is no choice; there is no role to the play of the quixotic and fickle mind. There is absolute resolute mind, concentrating on the ordained duty. This is the sure way of achieving success and happiness in life.  ‘Duty first’ is the Rule of Mind Management Technique (MMT). One cannot abandon one’s duty under any circumstance.