Every human being aspires toward a life of wellbeing, prosperity and happiness. We desire to have a long and healthy life of limitless possibilities, immense wealth, and loving and harmonious relationships with others. Such a state of emotional, spiritual and material fulfillment is described as a state of abundance.
Yet the world is full of scarcity, weakness and broken dreams. Attaining money, success, ‘name and fame’ appears to be an insurmountable task. Moreover, once attained, these easily slip away. Money can be lost. Businesses fail and jobs are lost. Relationships break. Happiness becomes fleeting.
From a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset
From the Buddhist concept of dukkha (life as suffering) to the Hindu idea of maya (entrapment in illusion), various spiritual systems describe the world as a place of deep dissatisfaction, perpetual struggle and great sorrow. Gurdjieff spoke of the earth as a ‘pain factory.’ Meher Baba described the human life as a constant journey ‘from one disappointment to another.’ The Old Testament referred to the ultimate pointlessness of life as ‘vanity of vanities’. It comes as no surprise that The Rolling Stones’ 1965 music hit ‘[I can get no] satisfaction’ has officially been recognized as one of the greatest songs of all time, due to its lyrics’ strong resonance with a popular culture in which anxiety, disquiet and feeling of futility remain salient traits of a modern (wo)man’s life.
But for all that, the spiritual science recognizes a fundamental truth - that it is this life, as we know it, which we experience as dukkha. To this, Buddha offers a solution, the Noble Eightfold path - and the anapanasati meditation - as a way out of this suffering. The world remains a net of illusion as long as we are stuck in our sanskaras (habits, mental impressions and behavioral patterns); yet the yogi knows there is a way to become a master of one’s own destiny. Mystics and spiritual teachers identified the restless and wandering mind as the source of great misery and perennial failure. They found methods to grow through awareness, to overcome self-limiting attitudes and discover the key to a life of peacefulness, grace, gratitude and fulfillment. They showed that it is, indeed, possible to lead a life of purpose, success and unlimited abundance.
Tapping into the great Universal Mind
There is a great universal source of unlimited energy, wealth and success. To manifest abundance means to tap into that source; to attune one’s body and mind to its vibrations, so that unlimited flow of prosperity becomes reality. We are all creators, capable of reshaping our present circumstances into a life of everlasting abundance. We deserve to be happy.
The Universal Mind is the all-permeating superconsciousness, from which the individual, human consciousness also arises. Mystics, seers and masters have said that the Universal Mind contains the collective memory of the Universe; that it is not time- or space- bound; that it transcends nature; that it is limitless; and that it contains all knowledge and wisdom. Re-uniting the individual mind to that energy field, to that cosmic ocean of truth and consciousness, enables us to manifest abundance effortlessly. Once attuned to the Universal Mind, all wishes come true. In that state, “Ask and it will be given to you” becomes an everyday experience.
Mastering the Law of Attraction (LOA)
In recent years, many books, movies and spiritual festivals have brought the Law of Attraction into limelight. Millions of people around the world have heard about the power of our thoughts to shape our life and destiny. However, although the Law of Attraction sounds simple, many practitioners report of difficulties on their path towards manifesting abundance. Some of the common obstacles are: lacking focus on the goal; struggling with a restless mind; inability to face one’s shadow, fears and unconscious mind; and, ultimately, a lack of faith that the law works.
Many spiritual traditions have demonstrated that, with the right knowledge and approach, people can manifest anything they desire. Yogis have said that yoga turns the practitioner’s body into an amulet or talisman, a lucky charm of magic powers, capable of fulfilling every desire. Among the eight perfections (ashta siddhi) of South India’s Siddhars (mystics, alchemists, spiritual masters) is the creative power of manifesting anything in the universe. Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions mention Kalpataru or Kalpavriksha, the tree which, similarly to the jinn of Aladdin’s lamp, grants fulfillment of all material desires to the one who finds it. Kalpataru has become a metaphor for the human desire to acquire the power of manifestation.
Delving deeper into these insights from folklore, spirituality and religion, we find an important common tread, which can probably be summed up in the Vedic sutra, Mano Matra Jagata: the world is a creation of the mind. A restless mind, a wandering mind, a mind burdened by ideas, thoughts and convictions of limitations, inability, impossibility, scarcity and poverty is a mind which creates a matching reality. On the other hand, when the mind chatter (chitta vritti) is calmed through meditation, it is possible to get free from harmful thought patterns, and to attune our mind to the universal mind, another name for that cosmic source of infinite abundance.
Overcoming the obstacles on the path of manifesting abundance
We are creatures of habits. Perhaps the most dangerous habit is that of sticking to old, limiting beliefs, and relying upon the same behaviors which have brought us to this place of failure. For example, such is the belief that money is a finite resource, or that success is a zero-sum game in which one wins only if someone else loses. Equally damaging are the feelings of despair, negativity and lack of belief in our power to manifest abundance. That becomes a vicious circle, which holds no promise of success. ‘He was poor because he was discontented, and discontented because he feared he was poor,’ Conwell once wrote, in his all-time classic, Acres of Diamonds. But how can one break free from this self-perpetuating circle?
Life should be lived in a state of happiness and abundance, brimming with energy, love, and fulfillment. That is the way you should be feeling right now, and every day of your life — thankful for all the beauty, wellness, success and wealth. All this is possible.
Fortunately, there are methods and techniques that can help. It is possible to master the Law of Attraction and to invite infinite abundance into our lives. When properly understood and learned, manifestation can be practiced with ease, and results will follow. While books are precious, the guidance of experienced practitioners and masters of the law is irreplaceable.