24. Bad Company (Ku-Sang-Loka)

Affirmation:

I choose my company with wisdom and stay true to my inner compass.

By acting in alignment with dharma, I surround myself with positive influences that support my spiritual growth.

Mantra:

Om Satya Sangha Namah

24

Bad company

(ku-sang-loka)

In the search for ego identification that characterizes third-chakra activities, the player seeks out groups to support him in his quest. He is aware that alone he lacks the strength to fulfill his desire, and he seeks others on a similar path to form a mutually supporting group.

If he is vibrating wrongly, he may find himself in a group that does not act in accord with dharma. Then he finds himself in bad company, a snake that bites him and takes him down to the first chakra and conceit.

In bad company his wrong character traits are either ignored or extolled. The power generated by group activities may cause his ego to swell and his selfishness to grow. He deceives himself into thinking his actions are in accord with dharma. The further he deviates from the path, the greater his conceit grows. He soon finds himself back in the first chakra and must seek purification or entertainment.

In bad company, personal problems are seen as caused by others. The terrorist, the political conspirator who resorts to any means to attain his aim, is the extreme example. He is deluded by those in his circle into thinking that assassination is correct, he feels that by killing another he can fulfill the desire within himself. He sees his own aims as the right aims for everyone. This deviation from dharma, this gross abuse of personal power, is a characteristic third-chakra problem. This abuse draws his energy down.

Bad company is adharma. Only by acting in accord with dharma can the player extricate himself from this trap.

Song

Bad Company

The search for ego's validation, a hunger that takes hold,
In groups we seek our confirmation, a story to unfold.

But weakness lurks where shadows creep, if wrong vibrations guide,
Bad company, a pitfall deep, where virtue turns aside.

Bad company, a web of lies, where darkness holds its sway,
If only dharma's light can rise, to chase the night away.

Adharma's grip, a heavy chain, it binds us to this sin,
Only through dharma can we gain, the strength to rise within.