Abuse of power
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I was meditating this evening, and I started thinking about how when it is centralized and expressed through an individual center of consciousness, it limits the universal consciousness by depriving the individual of the awareness of his divine nature. It is the delusion caused by this privation which makes us run after all kinds of worldy objects and pursue futiles searches for happiness endlessly. I believe the Hindus called this delusion Maya.
On the whole, people need a "kick start" to put them on the path to realization of what we really are. Maybe a traumatic event, maybe through drugs, sex. Maybe after doing the LBRP for the one thousandth time, something does happen for you, but once this happens, and you feel the divine power flowing through you, even for a second, you're on your way. Of course this super charges most people, but then the high wears off, or whatever the case, and they're back to chasing down those dreams, but hopefully at least left changed.
Of course, if you do feel that power, you have to be careful also. Aphorism 12 states that under the delusion of maya, the individual begins to regard the divine power flowing through his vehicles as his personal power, which belongs to him and which he is entitled to exercise in any way he likes. So I thought further about how things like this must be responsible for the almost universal misuse of power in the world. Instead of considering oneself a mere trustee of that power and using it properly, individuals who have no sense of discrimination begin to use it in an irresponsible manner and even to misuse it for gaining extremely selfish and sometimes nefarious ends.
I was listening to a gathering by Osho in which he claims however, that if one misuses the powers granted to one that the angels will immediately strip it away, but I'm not so sure this is the case. The blind pursuit of power and constant effort to seize it whenever and wherever possible is the surest indication of the fact that the invidividual is grossly involved in the illlusions of the world. But for the individual that rises above those illusions, power has no attractio nand he does not desire or seek it because it means added responsibilities which must be discharged most carefully and scrupulously.
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.