Program Topics
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
– Nelson Mandela
Life is a journey on an ever-flowing stream of continuous growth and improvement. In this journey, we are either moving forward or backward; it is impossible for us to remain stagnant. Self transformation is not a choice; it is a basic necessity of life. The key to living a complete life of physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being lies in fully understanding how we function on the inside.
The “Creative Transformation Model” (CTM) offers the most accurate and systematic way of understanding our inner life. This model is the result of experientially exploring life and distilling the best self-transformation wisdom from both ancient and modern sources. CTM represents a complete science of self-transformation.
When we talk about creation, we are usually referring to our external reality. We simply assume that creation happened at one particular time, and everything we see and experience around us is a part of that creation. The most important aspect we forget when we talk about creation is our “Self” which is at the center of this creative process.
Creation is not a one-time event that happened at some point in time. Creation is happening every single moment and we are at the center of it all. Our external reality is meaningless without a conscious self to perceive everything: What is the color of the rainbow when you are not looking at it? The CTM is a diagrammatic representation of the process of creation that is happening within us.
The CTM is designed to move you from the outer world of senses to the inner-functioning mechanism that drives actions and behavior.
If individuals can recognize the inner-functioning process of their thoughts, emotions, and desires, they can bring about lasting, desirable changes.
The chart shows the outer world as a component of the interaction of the senses. It shows the inner structures that form the foundation of all behaviors and actions. Through our studies, we have understood that a lack of clear understanding of this inner mechanism is at the root of our pain and suffering.
Notice that everything starts at the Self, with a desire. Next is an emotion that you are trying to fulfill with that desire, then the accompanying sense, something that fills that emotional gap, then finally the outcome of the entire process.
Using this chart to analyze thought processes both from the outside in and the inside out can help you overcome actions/behaviors that you are trying to stop or control.
As the chart shows, our Self is the most important cause of all actions. Through regular practice of meditation, you can move from the outer world of senses to the inner world of drives, desires, and emotions to eventually reach the core of yourself. The whole effort of a spiritual life is to move your awareness from the outer world to your inner reality. This shift brings in tremendous confidence, certainty, and peace.
Use this chart as a framework to measure your progress in meditation.
Whether we believe in a material world or a spiritual world, we can all agree that at its most basic level, life is nothing but a collection of experiences. We can all agree that the most important component of our life is our individual Self. Self is the seat of all happenings; everything begins and ends with the self. The process of creation begins when a desire arises in the self.
Desire is the primary mover of our thoughts and actions, and is the root cause of pain and pleasure. Understanding our desires fully is the only way to understand our lives fully.
Desire is a pure neutral energy that manifests itself in our lives through positive and negative emotions. All our life’s experiences are either positive or negative, and when a desire acquires a positive or a negative quality, it becomes an emotion. These alternating emotions are the driving force of our desires. This is what makes life a perfect duality.
Everything in life has its opposites; good and bad, right and wrong, up and down, hard and soft, dark and light, and so on. Amidst this constant duality of life, only our “Self” remains unchanged. This “Self” is the reason why, in spite of our constantly changing thoughts, we never forget who we are. There is a part of us that doesn’t get lost in thoughts, and that part of us is what gives us strength, stability and certainty.
Finding this stable Self is our ultimate goal. Our life begins and ends with the Self. Throughout our lives we keep moving farther and farther away from the Self, pursuing our various desires. Desires give rise to emotions, which in turn manifest as our reality through our senses, so the reality that we experience on the outside is partly created by our own senses.
Our desires, emotions and senses contribute to our experience and expression of life. The only way we can transform our lives is by understanding this internal process fully and gaining control over it.
The creative process section of the CTM diagram shows how we create our internal reality using our creative self. A desire arises in the self, which becomes an emotion, which in turn manifests itself through our senses as a creative expression of life.
Everything we experience on the outside has to pass through this internal creative process. The power to create is within us. We create our desires, thoughts, emotions, and ultimately our own reality. This might sound too egotistical and impossible, only because most of us have hardly observed the dynamic process of what goes on within us. We are so preoccupied with what is happening on the outside that we have completely forgotten that there is a universal creative process happening within us.
In ancient times, The Creator wanted to hide something from humans until they were ready to see. The Creator gathered all the animals and sought their advice.
“I want to hide something special from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realization that they create their own reality.”
The Eagle said, “Give it to me. I will take it to the highest mountain and keep it there.”
The Creator replied, “One day, the humans will conquer the highest mountain, and find it.”
The Salmon said, “Give it to me. I will take it to the deepest ocean and keep it there.”
The Creator replied, “One day, the humans will explore the deepest depths of the ocean, and find it.”
The Buffalo said, “Give it to me. I will bury it in the heart of the great plains, and keep it there.”
The Creator replied, “One day, humans will rip open the earth and find it there.”
All were stumped until little grandmother Mole, who lived within the heart of Mother Earth and sees with her spiritual eyes, spoke up: “Why don’t we hide it inside them? That is the last place they will look.”
The Creator replied in an instant, “It is done.”
Sicangu Lakota Oyate, An Old Sioux Legend.
Let’s take an example of looking at a painting to understand this internal creative process happening within us. When we are looking at a beautiful painting, our entire attention is on the outside. We are unaware of the internal process that is contributing to our understanding and appreciation of the painting.
When we pay closer attention to what is happening within us as we are looking at the painting, we can observe that deep down there is a desire that is making us watch the painting. Without this desire, we would not be staring at the painting, trying to understand it.
If we pay closer attention to our desire, we can see that there is an emotion attached to it as well. The emotion can be curiosity, anger, fear, happiness, or something else. This emotion is expressing itself through our visual sense of seeing as different colors.
Finally, this entire process comes together to create our momentary experience of seeing a painting in a certain way; our self, desire, emotions, and senses, all contribute to this process.
Similarly, we can break down the process of listening to music by going on a backward journey from the world of outer senses to the world of inner desires. While we are listening to music, we hardly pay any attention to the internal processes happening within us.
If we pay attention, we can see that the basic components of music are sound and silence. When sound and silence alternate in a particular rhythm, music is created. If we pay closer attention, we can see that our sense of hearing is creating the perception of music, and hidden behind our senses is our emotion which in turn is supported by our desire.
It is impossible for us to listen to music without the contribution of this internal process. Every experience we have on the outside has to go through this process.
To know how we function within is not an option, it is an absolute necessity.
– Avi
Methods & Techniques
Most of us simply live and die on the outermost circle as a part of creation, never becoming aware of the dynamic creative process that is happening with us. Throughout our lives we keep moving between different experiences created by our senses, without ever knowing why or how those experiences are created.
When we are not happy with something, the first thing we try to change is our external reality, without realizing that real lasting change can only happen within us. This is the main reason for most of our daily frustrations. When we are unaware of what is happening within us, we will have very little control over our lives.
The next time you have a desire for example, to eat, ask yourself if there is an emotion attached to it–are you excited, lonely, angry or upset? Which one of your senses is triggered? Does the desire manifest itself into food? If you are trying to control a habit this is a wonderful way to intercept the process to change the outcome. At any point in the process, substitute something else for the next step. It takes practice and time, but knowing how the process works gives you an advantage in overcoming the unwanted ritual.
The most important change this Creative Transformation Model will bring to your life is the freedom to choose your experiences. As you become aware of the internal processes contributing to your experiences, you will gain insight about how experiences are created. This will give you the power to change your life in any way you want. It is important to have a long-term approach to apply the methods of CTM to your life.
The diagram looks simple to understand, but it takes regular practice and conscious effort to make this inward journey. There is a lot of difference between becoming aware of these processes and gaining control over them. With a little bit of self-introspection you can see all these processes happening within you, but to gain control over them you have to commit to practicing the methods regularly. Of course, you can have a lot of fun along the journey. What can be more exciting and adventurous than a dive into the deep recesses of your inner self?
Mindfulness Exercise:
Pick any object you like. It helps if it is small enough to fit in your pocket or purse so you can easily carry it with you during the day. Be conscious of the object but don’t indulge in it.
Continue to be aware of this object all during the day. Every time you remember it, make a mental note. Roughly keep track of how many times you remembered it during the day. This is a simple exercise to see the difference between being mindful and being lost in thought.
This exercise will illuminate the process of how you get lost in thoughts. The first few days you will hardly remember the object that is with you. Slowly your awareness will improve and you will more often remember that it is with you. After some time you will constantly be aware that the object is with you and you’ll be able to drop the object.
This is simply a device to help you come back to being in the moment. More important than the object itself is the regular practice of being aware of it. This exercise will also illuminate the process of watching your senses, which in turn will improve your ability to control and direct your senses.
Mindfulness is key for developing sense control.
Questions For Reflection
Question 1: How does the Creative Transformation Model work?
Question 2: What part of us remains unchanged throughout all the experiences of life?
Question 3: Where is the power of creation located?
Question 4: What action does loneliness trigger in you? What action does fear trigger? How about happiness?
Question 5: What is the primary mover of emotions and actions?