DOES CONSCIOUSNESS EXPAND ?

Does consciousness expand? If so, how? For sometime this question has been coming back in my "chintan". I am sharing the following thoughts based on my personal observations.

Yes, the consciousness does expand. Every time we perform a good act, every time we entertain good thoughts, and whenever we give our mind a Godward turn, our consciousness expands. We can observe it by the exhilaration that we feel in those times. The degree or span of this feeling of exhilaration depends on the kind of good act, nature of the thoughts, and how good is the quality of our meditation.

Like any other pleasure, the more we feel this exhilaration, the more we are drawn to it, and bigger gets our consciousness. However, there is a difference between the other ordinary pleasures, and this pleasure. The other ordinary pleasures do not last  long, they are very fleeting, and there comes a time when, in some cases, we feel satiated, and do not want them any more. On the other hand, this exhilaration lasts longer, and again depending on its nature, upon experiencing it we feel closer to the feeling of BLISS.

Every time our consciousness expands, we begin from a new base of consciousness, and soon it is like a ball of light that is getting bigger and glowing brighter INSIDE us, inspired by the good act, good thought, and/or the Godward turn.

The beauty of it is that we can actually feel this ball of light within us, like we are in BLISS.

To experience this exhilaration, to expand our consciousness, we do not necessarily need big acts, we need more of the good acts and good thoughts. Yes, and we need to give more Godward turn to our life.

Yes, we do not need big acts. A case in point ... I was at the gym the other day.. someone had dropped a used paper towel on the floor and, unconscious of it, he walked ahead. There were choices.. I could tell that person about it, I could let the cleaning crew pick it up in the evening, or I could pick up the other person's used paper towel from the floor myself, and the floor would be clean for every one. I chose to pick up the used paper towel ... a small act that made me feel good, it expanded my consciousness.

It is important that as our consciousness expands, our ego must not expand simultaneously. Just the opposite, we have to consciously curb our ego more and more, and we will see our consciousness expand at a greater pace.

The more humble we are, the more sensitive we get to do the right thing, the faster we act, and faster expands our consciousness every time. Result ? Each time we get a little more evolved, we feel a little more glow, and we feel a different 'person' within us. This 'person', this ball of light, as it gets bigger and brighter, one day it will be so bright that it will merge in our Atman, nay, it IS our Atman, the Bliss.

Yes, our consciousness expands. Yes, it becomes our Consciousness. In true sense, there is no becoming. The Consciousness , our Atman, is always there, we have just uncovered it.

Vijay Nikore

(original and unpublished)