As we reach higher consciousness levels what happens to our emotions? I have some people in my life who seem to believe that at the higher levels you are less emotional and are less bothered by life's problems. I think they believe that other people can't hurt you when you are at higher consciousness levels? Are they correct or are they not allowing their emotions?

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Hi LK,

Higher consciousness level according to my understanding and knowledge is the optimum level of spirituality a common person could acquire.

As far as emotions are concerned, it is linked with your sentiments and temper, once you loose these things, you start becoming emotional.

But at the stage of Spiritual Level, you become so cool minded and you have such a great peace in your heart and mind that you donot get angry or annoyed by anything because your tolerance level also increases.

It is a stage when you are less bothered by wordly affairs because after reaching such higher level the wordly affairs become less important in your life.

This is the level that Prophets and Messengers of God acquire or are given by God but common people cannot acheive that level of spirituality that Prophets had.

Regards,

Do you know, I actually think that people who have reached higher levels of self-understanding (which is how I'm going to interpret "higher consciousness") probably have emotions that are as strong -- possibly even stronger -- than the rest of us.

The difference, (I suspect, because I don't think I'm flying with those eagles yet) is probably that with greater understanding of what causes one's emotions, the loss of control that sometimes goes with strong emotions is less of an issue.

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It is interesting that two different scales (bio-psycho-social research in Spiral Dynamics and spiritual research in the Chakra system) each list the emotion power area third on the scale. This RED in Spiral Dynamics and the third chakra near the gut, "gut emotions".

In each system, the previous level is not transcended and excluded, it is transcended and included. But, whereas at the levels mentioned "emotion" is the ruling format, at transcended levels, it is incorporated into the overall being. So, emotions are not eliminated, but rather consciousness now has the ability to perceive and choose action in reference to them rather than being moved by them.

Most people I have talked to or read about indicate emotions are not diminished, in fact, if anything they are intensified. But what higher consciousness structures allow one to do is identify it, recognize it, and then let it be within the context of their awareness. In other words, I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. Emotions come and go within the consciousness of my being, but my higher strucutre, or eternal/enlightened nature is not attached to that.

With that realization, the enlightened person is not always seeking the highs of happiness or avoiding the low of sorrow. The emotion arises, it is felt, identified, and then let to pass. From the outside, it may appear the person is "emotionless", when in reality, the individual has just learned the difference between the eternal "I" of consciousness and being and the flurry of sound and light that passes about it. Not unlike the calm of the eye of a hurricane. Despite the chaos about it, the center is calm.

-TC

I'm inclined to agree with this. I think the deeper we dig into ourselves the more vulnerable we become. If we removed some blocks it seems logical that we would be more emotional. It would appear to me that denying one's emotions would cause the blocks. I remember reading once that Buddhist monks cry out in pain just like anyone else.

It would seem that the more we are in tune with ourselves the more we would experience.

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I think those at higher levels of consciousness will have emotions as well, except that they will be controlled and disciplined by self-mastery.

Krishna was in a state of higher consciousness and at the same time he was in the thick of action most of the time. The Bhagavad Gita was Krishnas teachings to Arjuna before the beginning of the Mahabharatha war.

As Krishna himself said, " The wise man is he who is intensely active in the midst of intense peace, and intensely peaceful in the midst of intense action."

And Krishna was the personification of his teaching. Similarly with the Buddha who was compassionate and in a state of unconditional love towards all.

And the same with Jesus, who was in a state of higher consciousness and talked about love towards all and who was composed and tranquil when the romans tortured him.

The same with the 9th Guru of the Sikhs , Guru Teg Bahadur, who was tranquil , calm and composed , even though he was subjected to brutal torture by Aurangzeb , the mughal emperor.

Good post! I have a couple of questions. Are controlled emotions healthy? What about Jesus throwing a temper tantrum in the temple? As I recall Jesus was in emotional pain wondering why he had been forsaken.

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I think it's impossible to know what emotions Jesus had. I think it's very possible he had great emotions. It's also possible that people around him projected their own fear and emotion onto him. It also could be that he was fully aware of our internal pain and took some of that on willingly. So, I think there's alot of possible scenarios.

As far as controlling ones emotions, I think there's a difference between denying one's emotions and accepting them without acting on them. I also agree that doing any kind of internal or spiritual work involves deeper emotional awareness (positive as well as negative). A spiritual teacher of mine used to say "When I'm in pain, I'm in error." So taking responsibility for our anger is important.I also agree with TC about learning to have a certain detachment. We are more than our thoughts and emotion - that's encouraging to me when I'm tempted to add guilt to my feelings of anger. In A Course in Miracles, Jesus talks about how an innocent mind cannot suffer. But since we're not there yet, we can at least recognize what our emotions are telling us and see them as teachers. Even the ones we don't like. A case in point: C.S.Lewis recognized that there is an elements of "joy" in grief: we grieve someone because we have loved them.

I don't know who it was (perhaps Buddha or the Dali Lama?) that said when you know inner truth/peace you will still cry, but it will be for others.

Well , a person who practices meditation, yoga and prayer, will have better mood management abilities,and wil be able to control their emotions better.They will also have better control of the mind.

And as the mahabharatha says, " The mind, if controlled, will never lead to regret."

Krishna himself talks about this in the Bhagavad Gita when he says, "Thinking of objects, attachment to them is formed in a man. From attachment desire, and when desire is obstructed anger grows.
From anger comes delusion, and from delusion loss of memory. From loss of memory come the ruin of discrimination, and from the ruin of discrimination he perishes. "

Hence I believe it is important to control ones emotions,to control ones mind , and be in a state of non-attachment, and do your duties well, as Krishna taught.

And I belive unconditional love comes in a state of non-attachment.


I don't think Jesus threw a temper tantrum and had become a slave to his anger. He was just doing his duty of getting rid of the merchants from the temple who were commercialising it. He must have shown some anger and spirit in order to effectively get rid of these guys from the temple .

My name is Vivian and I am new at this message. I don't know if emotions disappear completely once we are "realized", but I see emotions as reactions to outer circumstances. I believe the truth that will set us free is to realize that we are spirit and spirit is perfect. This is my idea of oneness, with our Self, with God and with everyone. As we become aware more and more of this Truth, we will see less and less "problems" and more and more perfection, so we react less and less, not because we control our emotions, but there is simply less and less we see "wrong".