Intensity - Vol 3: Become the real you

PROLOGUE

This text was machine-transcribed from the printed book and may contain errors. Select the words and choose “Report a mistake”.

A digitally rendered image of a young Hindu deity seated on an ornate silver throne, with a radiant light background and a small inset photo of a person in the top left corner.

INTENSITY - A
FORM OF LIVING
ENERGY THAT
RiSES AND
FLOWS
THROUGH THE
SEVEN CHAKRAS
IN THE BODY

In the Shiva sutras, intensity is described as a form of living energy that rises and flows through the seven chakras in the body, which are the main energy centers. This form of energy does not create conflict but flows smoothly and strongly. It can be described as a river which flows intensely and smoothly through various paths and courses to reach the ocean. It is indeed remarkable, that rivers always find their way to the ocean, without any navigators. It is so intense in its purpose, that even when an obstacle presents itself, it flows around, to reach the ocean. The river, unlike the human ego, does not get hurt when an obstacle presents itself. Often times, human beings feel hurt by an obstacle on their path and stop flowing. They then become like a lake that has decided to remain where it is, without achieving its goal.

If like the river, people decide to
continue persistently on their
path, making necessary
modifications or turns on their
life course as and when necessary,
they will achieve their goals. If
obstacles frighten or hurt the
ego, then people may stop
flowing completely. This can lead
to stagnation in growth and
possibly depression and
frustration.

LIVING WITH
INTENSITY IS TO
LIVE WITHOUT
INNER OR OUTER
CONFLICT.

When a person is strongly
connected with an idea or
thought, they feel they can
overcome any obstacle. They can
flow towards the positive
achievement of their goals.
However, people can also
intensely create conflict. This is
not the expression or radiation of
true living energy within the self.
Intense people who constantly
create conflict can be described as
people who are not flowing
smoothly with people and life.
They have the intensity, but it is
used to create blocks and
obstacles. There is no flow or
natural expression of life energy.

There are people who are intense but who lost the ability to flow; similarly, there are people who just flow but are not intense. In Sanskrit there is a word – “Jnanavarishta bhakti”, used by the famous Indian enlightened master Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This means that it is important to have devotion or deep bhakti, but it is also important to have the intensity with knowledge. It is important to have both the qualities of intensity and flow to achieve life’s goals.

YOUR iNTENsiTY
iS THE ONLY
THiNG THAT
DECIDES WHEN
YOUR OBJECT
OF SEEKiNG WiLL
HAPPEN

Tantra, the mystical science of
meditation techniques, says that to
know the truth one needs only one
condition, intensity. Be total in
what you are, what you do. Live
intensely in the moment and taste
the real life. Otherwise, you are not
living. You are just waiting for
death.

When you eat, intensely eat. Let
your whole attention and energy
be on the food. Do not divert
your attention and thoughts to
what you need to get done at
work tomorrow or where you
want to go for your next
vacation. Enjoy the food with all
your senses. Taste the food in
your mouth, enjoy the feast in
front of your eyes, touch the food
with love, and smell the aroma of
the food.

When you eat this way
totally, you will enjoy every
morsel and you will actually
feed into your system the
living energy the food is
meant to give. If you are
drinking water, drink it
intensely. Become the thirst.
Feel the coolness of the
water going into your
mouth, throat and down
your food pipe. Let each
drop of water that goes into
your mouth give you the
feeling of fulfillment.

The Tamil classic, Periya Puranam,
describes the stories of
the Nayanmars, the ardent devotees
of lord Shiva. There are so many
instances of the devotees realizing
the Ultimate by simple activities
like making garlands for the Lord.

An example is Gananaatha
Nayanaar, a devotee of Shiva,
engaged in simple services like
plucking flowers for worship,
making garlands for the Lord,
sweeping and washing the floor of
the temple and keeping the lamps
in the temple burning. Just this
simple life led him to reaching the
Ultimate and brought him his
name 'Gananaatha' meaning the
chief of the ganas (attendants) of
lord Shiva.

REACH THE

DiViNE THROUGH iNTENSiTY

Don't cheat yourself and be
hypocritical by not admitting
what you feel. You cannot
hide anything from the
Divine. He knows you better
than you know yourself.
Your intensity is the only
thing that decides when your
object of seeking will
happen. If the intensity is
total, it will happen that
moment. If the intensity is
not integrated and total, it
will take more time because
the intensity has to gain
strength in that time.

A beautiful story:

The Sufi mystic Junaid, was taking a walk one morning when a man came up to him asking, 'I need to reach the capital of this kingdom. How long will it take?'

Junaid just looked at the man and
continued walking. The man was going
in the same direction. He followed
Junaid thinking maybe he did not hear
him properly.

So, he asked Junaid again, 'Can you please tell me how much time it will take me to reach the capital of the kingdom?'

A beautiful story:

Junaid continued walking. The man gave up trying to ask further. After some distance, Junaid said, 'You will have to walk at least ten hours.'

The man was surprised and exclaimed, 'You could have said that before!' Junaid replied, 'How can I say before? I needed to watch your speed first. Then only I could tell you how long it will take to reach the capital.'

In the same way, the time it takes to realize also depends on your intensity. If you are intense enough, it does not need time to reach the Ultimate. Where you are, who are you is irrelevant. You can reach here and now.

portrait of a man with sacred ash on forehead

WHEN YOU
LIVE
iNTENSELY,
AUTOMATiCALL
Y YOU WILL
BE LiBERATED

If you don't live any moment intensely, what happens?

Your mind looks for repeating the action in that moment.

Why? Why does your mind pull you to
the same experience again and again?
You may crave for a particular candy or
you may be addicted to something.
Why?

You cannot feel fulfilled by
offering sense pleasures to the
senses. Living intensely does not
mean fulfilling your senses,
pouring pleasures into your
senses, or living as you wanted.
Eat intensely. When you are
eating, only eat.
When you are sleeping, just
sleep.
When you are drinking, only
drink.
When you are making merry, just
be merry.

INTENSITY CAN

HELP YOU
OVERCOME
ADDICTONS!

Actually if you look deep
you can see it is because
you never eat the candy or
cater to the addiction
completely with full
involvement. You hold
back from throwing
yourself into the action
fully. Maybe you feel guilty
about it or you have too
many confusing thoughts
at that time. So you decide
to just do the action
ignoring your thoughts
and feelings that are
coming in the way of your
pleasure.

You see, part of you wants to indulge in the action. Another part of you argues why you should not. You are caught in too many thoughts, many of them self-contradictory. You lose energy in fighting with yourself. Finally, you are not integrated whether you do the action or not. You are not intense. So the desire is not completely fulfilled and leaves behind its memory in your inner space.

BURN YOUR KARMAS THROUGH INTENSITy

Engraved memories of desires that
are not completely fulfilled are
called samskaras. These engraved
memories have the power to make
you return and travel in that same
path. Whether it is coffee or
champagne or smoking, whatever
engram you create will have the
power to make you do the same
action again and again, till you feel
completely fulfilled with that habit
or with that enjoyment or pleasure.

If you enjoy your addiction
intensely even once, only once,
you will be completely
liberated. That engram will never
ask you anymore to travel in that
path. It will liberate you.w of life!
It is a law of life!

A digital rendering of a person dressed as a deity sitting on a golden throne with gold statues on either side

Karma is nothing but
unfulfilled engrams and
desires, which are inside your
being, which constantly
make you again and again to
travel in that same path,
trying to give the experience
of fulfillment in your inner
being.

KARMA iS

UNFULFiLLED ENGRAMS

Unfulfilled engrams are what I
call karma. You keep your body
alive, you keep your mind alive,
because still you have hope that the
body can give something to you,
the mind can give something to
you. Still you have the hope you
can enjoy something, or something
needs to be fulfilled through the
body and mind. That is what I call
karma.

FOR ALL THIS,
THERE IS ONLY
ONE THING
NEEDED ON
YOUR PART:
LiVE iNTENSELY

Portrait of Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam surrounded by a floral design

A stylized, youthful depiction of a spiritual figure wearing traditional Indian attire, jewelry, and a sacred forehead mark, making a hand gesture.

BECOMING VS BEING

Portrait of Nithyananda within a lotus petal frame