I’ve been reading about some very interesting and accomplished persons such as Ramana Maharshi and Yogananda.  In another article I read:

 

“The famed sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi, when asked about Jesus’ power to perform miracles, substantiates what Faqir Chand had taught for over forty years: “Was Jesus aware at the time that he was curing men of their diseases. He could not have been conscious of his powers. “Such manifestations are as real as your own reality. In other words, when you identify yourself with the body as in jagrat, you see gross objects; when in subtle body or in mental plane as in svapna , you see objects equally subtle; in absence of identification as in Sushupti, you see nothing. The objects seen bear relation to the state of the seer. The same applies to visions of God (Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi, Volume I, II, and III. Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1972, pages 17 and 355).”  http://www.integralworld.net/lane46.html

 

“The objects seen bear relation to the state of the seer.”

 

This statement may bring up several connections.  As Vadim Zeland has said “The World is the mirror of your attitude towards it.”  One of the main themes of the disincarnate voice of Seth through Jane Roberts was “You create your Reality.”  It took me years to figure out that he wasn’t implying that I create the physical world or that we are not grounded in human beingness.  Here is a quote:

 

“Your beliefs form reality. Your individual beliefs and your joint beliefs. Now the intensity of a belief is extremely important…

And, if you believe, in very simple terms, that people mean you well, and will treat you kindly, they will. And, if you believe that the world is against you, then so it will be in your experience. And, if you believe…IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BEGIN TO DETERIORATE AT 22, then so you shall.

And, if you believe that you are poor, and always will be, then so your experience will so prove to you. Your beliefs meet you in the face when you look in the mirror. They form your image. You cannot escape your beliefs. They are, however, the method by which you create your experience.

It is important that you here realize that you are not at the mercy of the unexplainable, that you are not at the mercy of events over which you have no control whether those events are psychological events or physical ones, in your terms.

As I have told you, there is little difference if you believe that your present life is caused by incidents in your early infancy or by past lives over which equally you feel you have no control. Your events, your lives, your experiences, are caused by your present beliefs. Change the beliefs and your life changes.” –Seth

 

How you see the world, what the world is “like” for each of us depends on our basic belief structures.  They provide the forms that hold our reality and shape what we experience.  Most of us would agree that we tend to see what we know is there. We exclude what we are not interested in.  We typecast people and make them this way or that way depending on our image of who we think they are.

Years ago I read a story about a young man who yearned to know how to perform magic.  He dedicated his life to acquiring magical powers.  However, as he approached success, he began to lose the drive to perform and gradually spent his time tending to the poor and needy and lived a simple obscure life.

Moving on in this vein.  This may connect with the well-known idea that if we want a better world, start within.  Work on yourself first and you may then see that the “world” is perfect just as it is.  How could it be otherwise?  We may not be able to control the events that happen to us – although I am sure that I draw to me those things that I cannot accept and am judgemental about- we certainly are free to choose exactly how we react to them. So, perhaps there is some truth to a statement such as:  If you want a better world then be a better person.

I’ve just remembered Richard, my past running buddy who helped me along the way.  We cruised at an almost identical pace but he was always stronger near the finish line.  He used to say:  “Be who you is and not who you ain’t.”