Urban Buddha

ABOUT THE BOOK:

“Urban Buddha will kindle your interest and inspire you to realise the higher self.”

—Daaji

(Kamlesh Patel)

Heartfulness Guide & Padma Bhushan Awardee

www.heartfulness.org

“At the end of the book, my mind was settled, my heart was open, and I felt even more inspired to continue my spiritual journey.”

—Vasco Gaspar

International Author & Speaker

vascogaspar.com

Contents

Part - 1

The Fateful Evening
Gentlemen in the Grove
Indra & Virochana
Chitti
Culture, Values & Feelings
Feelings & Algorithms
Man & Machine
Origin of Life
The Common Ground
Mind & Separateness
Subtle Body & Intelligence
Consciousness & Experience
Chitti & Experience
Subconsciousness, Impressions & Dreams
Samskaras & Personality
The Two Selves
Evolution & Expertise
Realisation & Happiness
The Fakir

Part - 2
Jina’s House
Pleasure & Happiness
The Animal Birth
Transmigration of Soul & the Departed State
Past-life Memories
Original Desire & Ghosts
The Nature of Pleasure Principle
The Surrendered Intellect
The Real Happiness
Types of Desires & Awakened Intellect
Pleasure to Happiness
Meeting the Master

Foreword:-

From an early age, I developed a keen interest in meditation and spirituality, and fostered a deep spirit of enquiry and respect for the world’s great spiritual traditions and scientific advancements. My first spiritual guide, Babuji, advocated, “Spirituality and materiality are like the two wings of a bird. A bird cannot fly with one wing alone.” As we progress spiritually, our material life becomes more and more charged with the finer vibrations of our spiritual essence. As a result, our growth in both spheres comes together to be in tune with our Divine Nature. In fact, we develop as a complete human being in order to soar on both wings, with the heart functioning like the tail of the bird, allowing us to fly with both the wings, spiritual and material, guiding us forward.

The first experience of Heartfulness meditation with a trainer, on 12 August 1976, established a unique, heartful and loving connection within me, and created a constant yearning for union with the higher self. I was able to meet Babuji Maharaj in Shahjahanpur after almost a year. Then, in 1980, I moved to New York City, where my wife and I raised our two children, and I steadily built a successful pharmacy business while continuing to pursue my love for meditation through the Heartfulness way. Today, in my present role as the leader of the Heartfulness Movement, I consider myself as a student of spirituality, and extend support to seekers everywhere. I also love to devote time and energy to research in the field of spirituality and consciousness.

It thus gives me immense pleasure to introduce Urban Buddha, written by Deepak Saini. This book will kindle your spirit of enquiry and search for the true purpose of life, in the midst of the busy demanding life of modern times.

Urban Buddha begins with an episode of a young boy experiencing a shift in consciousness, during which he feels utmost peace but is not able to find a plausible explanation for it. He is puzzled – was it just a rush of chemicals causing such a state of immense peace, or was it a shift in consciousness which caused the change in state? The young seeker continues to search for an answer, and late one evening chances upon a small group of people discussing the philosophical aspects of life, while reconciling science and spirituality. The boy remains in hiding and silently listens on with eager excitement, hoping that he will receive the answers he has been looking for and maybe finally find a guide to lead him on the path.

What is the true purpose of life? Is it God-Realization? How do we realize something about which we don’t have a basic idea? Can we grasp something which is omnipotent, omniscient, infinite and formless. Are God-Realization and Self-Realization one and the same? These are fundamental questions for which we all seek answers. Are we separate individuals, or are we a part of the whole? Which is the real self? Is it the physical body, or are we much more than just the physical body? This book explores and elucidates the multiple dimensions or layers of being – our physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions – and how each one affects the others. We have three bodies – the physical body, the subtle body and the causal body. From a quantum perspective, these dimensions are energy sheaths that become progressively subtler as we move from the outer to the inner; from form to formlessness; from matter to energy to Absolute.

Urban Buddha explores human existence, and questions the idea of an esoteric entity like the soul or self, versus the idea of a human biological accident, functioning as a super-efficient machine, a bionic robot. Can all aspects of our life, learning and experiences be explained by simple logic, without any mystical entity? Have cultures and traditions evolved over eons of time merely to satisfy our deep-seated physical and emotional needs, or are they born out of our feelings of love and concern for others, representing the very best within each one of us.

Deepak Saini adeptly explores the aspect of Prana, our life force, the idea of separateness arising from our individuality or ego, and the role of the mind – a component of the subtle body, which is the field of constant chatter from the inner and outer world. We all understand the physical body, but what is the subtle body? What is its role? Are there levels of evolution in the subtle body? Does consciousness evolve with the evolution of the subtle body? Is the consciousness of an inanimate object, a plant, an animal and a human being the same or different? Do we recognize our own present state of consciousness? To evolve from one level of consciousness to another more refined level, and to truly appreciate that state, it is essential to recognize not only our current state but also the state we aspire to reach. Even in this mundane world, say we are going from Delhi to Hyderabad, can we even plan to reach Hyderabad without knowing that we are currently in Delhi and that we would like to reach Hyderabad?

Urban Buddha explores how our actions, reactions and responses are governed by the impressions that we form through the interactions of our senses, and how these impressions lay buried in our lake of consciousness. These impressions, known also as samskaras, play a vital role in our being. How are they created? Do they carry any weight? Are some impressions stronger than others? Do we play a role in making impressions stronger? Do we carry these impressions during transmigration of the soul? Are the impressions a barrier between me and my true self? Can we do something to loosen or let go of the shackles of these impressions? Can the load of samskaras be lightened, and will it lead to higher, purified levels of consciousness?

Urban Buddha explores the happiness that everyone seeks in their lives. Many of us associate pleasure with happiness and wish to avoid anything painful. I had a revelation one day: like a pair of scissors with two blades, we deal with two sides of existence – pleasure and pain. We tend to overuse the pleasure side to such an extent that it becomes blunt and need ever-increasing levels of pleasure to feel any sense of happiness. On the other hand, we avoid the pain side to such an extent that it remains extremely sharp, resulting in even a little amount of pain causing us agony. Can a refinement in levels of consciousness enable us to transcend the dualities altogether? Is this the idea of spiritual evolution? And how would our quality of life be with such a refined consciousness? These are some interesting questions that you will encounter in the book.

While taking you on a wonderful exploration, Urban Buddha introduces the prescription of Ashtanga Yoga advocated by Sage Patanjali. Is it, however, sufficient to have knowledge of the prescription, or do we need to practise it? Do we need a capable guide to take us on the path? How do we recognize a true guide? Will the mind guide us, or will the heart give the right signal to recognize the guide? These are some of the quintessential questions raised through the book.

Can physical exercises, breathing exercises, the various types of kriya practices, and many other practices, transform our inner being? Is our inner being subjected to physical and scientific laws? Are there fixed laws that facilitate a life of happiness? Just as physical laws have their place in the physical realm, there are laws that govern the operations of the subtle bodies – Chit, Manas, Buddhi and Ahankaar. This understanding automatically raises the question: What can help our soul attain its fulfilment?

The mind is often full of chatter, so the first essential requirement is to regulate the mind. This book beautifully reflects on the aspect of discipline of the mind and body to shape our lifestyle. We all look at food, aahar, as what we eat, and many people focus on the aspect of sattvik food. However, is food only that which we eat or does it encompass everything that we consume through our senses? What is food for our body, what is food for our mind, and what is food for our soul, are questions we need to ask of ourselves.

With modern technology, each product has multiple versions, for example Apple iOS may have a version 10 and a version 14. What about our ultimate version? What would I like to see as ‘Kamlesh version 5,000’, my ultimate form, my ultimate inner being? Does it match with my present state of being? If not, what changes do I need to make in order to come a little closer to the version I am dreaming of?

To sum up, we are not merely human beings learning to evolve spiritually, we are spiritual beings waking up in human form, learning to become fully human. I invite you to read this wonderful and interesting book. It is written through the eyes of a young seeker, in the form of a naturally unfolding story, and it is a doorway for gaining an understanding of the purpose of human life and generating interest in personal evolution. The unfolding of the story as a novel allows the author to touch only upon limited aspects, so I would thus urge the reader not to consider everything in the book as the final say on the subject. There is always much more to explore, understand, and realize in this infinite journey.

I am sure that Urban Buddha will kindle your interest and inspire you to realize your higher self. My spiritual guide would often say,“Read and enjoy, do and feel.” So I pray that the interest generated will take you further to practise, and that each one of you will be guided from within to find the right guide to take you on an adventure through your vast inscape, rather, an venture, which will be truly fulfilling.

—Kamlesh Patel

Heartfulness Guide & Padma Bhushan Awardee, 2023

www.heartfulness.org