Intoxication: sensory and extra-sensory…

Well, this is a subject that strikes a chord with me and is frequently a subject of my ardent discussions with anyone that bothers to indulge me. A few days ago, a friend of mine genially told me that he really appreciated people who indulged in sensory intoxications, as according to him that was the only way that the person could forget “himself”; that dunked in the induced stupor of intoxication, man could truly forget his own ‘self’ and all the pain and regret that came with being that ‘self’. I, for one could not have disagreed more with him and told him so. I whole-heartedly agree with the fact that life does indeed take a grievous toll on the human will. The many pitfalls of life can leave any human being shaken to the core. All the different energies that the human being acquires as a result of the scores of karmic liaisons, which he instantiates with those around him tarnish his heart. In the end, the individual comes to a point where he truly feels that in order to seek a moment of solace and peace from the repugnant and dastardly lifestyle; he must douse his cognizance in sensory intoxications. That is where the individual goes wrong. The reason why an individual feels the burden of life weigh him down incessantly is the fact that he fails to look at life dispassionately. He fails to cognize the fact that life in the end is just and unfulfilled equation; a collection and integration of unrequited liaisons. All that he experiences and undergoes in life is a result of his own actions. When he fails to cognize the aforementioned fact, the individual regresses into a recursive way of thoughts wherein he keeps on mulling on all his misfortunes and maladies, generating more and more negativity within himself. This continues until he comes to a point, where he can no longer bear to have that negativity around him. Thus to escape from the torture that he himself initiates in the first place, the individual resorts to sensory intoxications. These intoxications serve their purpose by simply numbing his sensory perceptions and generation of thoughts for a short period of time, lending the individual some respite. However, the negativity returns with amplified potency as the individual once again regresses into the same recursive way of thinking.

As I was telling my good friend this, I touched upon the subject of extra-sensory intoxication; the type of intoxication that does not involve any process that influences the five senses of the human body; the intoxication which affects not the human mind, but the divine soul that resides within the individual. Such intoxication is beneficial for the individual himself as it brings him closer to accepting the facts of life more clearly and completely than ever. It brings him closer to discovering himself, for what he truly is beneath the illusive garb of human existence. This spiritual intoxication brings a sense of harmony and peace within the life of the individual and the effects of such an extra-sensory intoxication are long-standing and eventually perpetual.

“What does it constitute?” my friend asked me eagerly. “It constitutes the spiritual sadhana” I replied. All spiritual meditations including chanting, recitation of the holy texts and singing devotional songs; all these alternative methods of intoxication of the soul bring the individual ever closer towards achieving perpetual peace and satisfaction in his life….

While many may consider the aforementioned methods as dogmatic and superstitious, there is a perfectly valid rational explanation behind the spiritual sadhana. Will reflect upon it in my next post…

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admin | October 7, 2009 1:53 pm

1 Comment

By Umesh Bhat, October 7, 2009 @ 7:10 pm

I recall a incidence in my life. When I was small kid, my Uncle’s house was undergoing major change. Worker that worked on it used to stay nearby. These people after their’s days heavy workload, used to sing bhajans together, that may have helped them to not to turned toward to sensory intoxications.