Category Archive: Philosophy and Religion

When I point a finger at my neighbor, three more are pointing back at me!

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Carl Jung (Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst)

Kabir – The couplet
दोस पराए देखि करि, चला हसन्त हसन्त |
अपने याद न आवई, जिनका आदि न अंत ||

Transliterated
Dos parae dekhi kari, chala hasant hasant |
Apne yaad na aavai, jinka aadi na ant ||

Translation
Looking at the mistakes of others, we keep laughing|
Our own faults are never remembered, they are lost from memory||

My understanding
Carl Jung’s quote above resonates with Kabir’s doha. It highlights the importance of introspection when we criticize or become irritated by others. It suggests that our reactions to others serve as mirrors reflecting our own issues or traits that we have yet to acknowledge or fully understand. Like Kabir, Jung encourages us to use our observations of others as opportunities for self-growth and increased self-awareness rather than as moments for judgment or derision.

It is a common human tendency to notice and laugh at the mistakes of others, while often being oblivious to one’s own flaws. The lines suggest that while it’s easy to see and mock the errors of others, people rarely reflect on their own faults, which, like those of others, have no beginning or end, implying they are numerous and continuous.

Kabir’s message is a call to humility and self-improvement, urging us to remember that everyone has flaws, and rather than ridiculing others for theirs, we should focus on correcting our own. This is a reflection on the human condition and a lesson on the virtues of patience, understanding, and compassion in our interactions with others. Kabir, through his poetic simplicity, teaches the importance of introspection in the journey toward spiritual and personal growth.

Achieving introspection amidst the rush of modern life requires intentional effort and practice. It involves cultivating habits that allow one to pause, reflect, and engage with one’s inner self. Here are some strategies to make time for introspection:

Set Aside Dedicated Time
  • Schedule Quiet Time: Just as you would for any important appointment, schedule a regular time for introspection. Early mornings or late evenings are often quieter times when you can be alone with your thoughts.
  • Meditation and Mindfulness: Practice meditation or mindfulness for a few minutes daily. These practices can help center your thoughts and make you more aware of your mental and emotional states.
Use Daily Activities as Opportunities for Reflection
  • Mindful Walking: Turn routine activities like walking into opportunities for reflection. Focus on your surroundings and your inner feelings rather than letting your mind wander to daily worries.
  • Journaling: Keep a journal to write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and understanding your personal growth over time.
Technology and Apps
  • Digital Detoxes: Periodically disconnect from electronic devices to avoid constant distractions and create space for deeper thinking.
  • Use Apps Wisely: There are apps designed to remind you to take moments for gratitude, meditation, or simply breathing exercises throughout your day.
Seek Solitude
  • Find Quiet Spaces: Sometimes, the best way to introspect is to remove yourself from noise and distractions physically. Quiet spaces like parks, libraries, or even a secluded spot in your home can provide the perfect setting for reflection.
  • Solo Activities: Engage in solo activities that allow you to be with your thoughts, such as reading, painting, or gardening.

Engage in Conversations and Experiences that Challenge You

  • Deep Conversations: Have meaningful conversations with friends or mentors that challenge your perspectives and encourage you to think deeply about your beliefs, actions, and goals.
  • New Experiences: Step out of your comfort zone by trying new activities or learning new skills. Reflect on these experiences and what they teach you about yourself.

Set Goals for Personal Development

  • Reflect on Goals Regularly: Set personal development goals and regularly reflect on your progress towards these goals. This can be a form of introspection that leads to actionable insights.
  • Feedback and Reflection: Seek feedback from others and use it as a basis for self-reflection. Understanding how others perceive you can provide valuable insights for personal growth.

Incorporating introspection into your daily life doesn’t require large blocks of time; rather, it’s about making the most of the moments you have and being intentional about seeking understanding and growth.

Simplicity is the road to success and greatness!!

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” – Steve Jobs

Kabir – The couplet

“साधना बिनु सब सूना, साधना सब काज।
साधना बिनु सुधि ना होई, साधना सब राज॥”

Transliterated:

“Saadhana binu sab soona, saadhana sab kaaj।
Saadhana binu sudhi naa hoi, saadhana sab raaj॥”

Translation:

“Without simplicity, all is hollow; simplicity is the essence of all deeds |
Without simplicity, there’s no wisdom; simplicity is the ultimate truth ||

My Understanding

The human brain is geared to complexity and most humans tend to allow thoughts to stray and float away – on tangential threads. Cognitive bias (an example is confirmation bias, where one has the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses), emotional influence (stress, anxiety, excitement, or even boredom can lead to wandering thoughts as the brain seeks to process and cope with emotional stimuli), neurobiology (dopamine levels?), environmental factors (e.g.: noise, distractions, or interruptions), lack of mindfulness or attention control – all are factors leading to this straying of thought.

While these factors contribute to the tendency of the human brain to create complexity where none exists, they also underscore the richness and flexibility of human cognition, allowing for creativity, problem-solving, and adaptability in various situations.

The trick is to train ourselves to focus on the core task at hand, and train all tangential threads to either contribute to the core by bringing them back to the central point, or teaching ourselves to immediately discard them rather than allow them to drag us further away. When we do this, all of a sudden, the mind finds clarity of both purpose and process, and finds goals to be easier to achieve. And this, I believe, lies at the heart of all success stories – simplicity and focus.

Is human life frail – or is it our thought that makes it so?

” Ninety percent of the world’s woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves – so how can we know anyone else?”

– Sydney J. Harris

 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर मंदिर लाख का, जड़ियाँ हीरे लाली।

दिवस चारि का पेषणा, बिनस जाएगा काली।। 


Transliterated:
Kabir mandir laakh ka, jaddiyaan heere laali |

Diwas chaari ka peshna, binas jaayega kaali!!

 
Translation:
This body is a construct of but meat and bones (transient objects), but it houses the priceless mind |
It is with us for a limited time (four days) – learn to use its treasures or perish – it is your gain or loss ||
 
My understanding:

A lot of human thought focuses on the human body’s limitedness and frailty – ignoring the strength and compassion of the mind within. When we put the mind to work, the body’s weaknesses become strengths instead, and the average human becomes a titan who moves mountains and creates wonders.

Kabir here exhorts us to go deep within and find that eternal fountain of youth and strength within that can help us become much better versions of ourselves!

Ignore the guide (teacher) at your own peril. 

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”

– Kahlil Gibran

 
Kabir – The couplet
कबिरा ते नर अंध है, गुरु को कहते और | 

हरी रूठे गुरु ठौर है, गुरु रूठे नहीं ठौर ||

 
Transliterated:
Kabira te nar andh hai, gure ko kehte aur |

Hari roothe guru tthour hai, guru roothe  nahi tthour!!

 
Translation:
Blind is the man who ignores the guru |
If the Lord turns away, the Guru will show the path, but if the Guru turns away, there is no one left to give direction ||
 
My understanding:

To find God, we needed the right guide – be it Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Krishna, or some other wise person – to whom we ascribe all the qualities of Godhood. These wise ones understand our deepest yearning and strive to put us on the path we need to be rather than the one we want to be on.

However, our base tendencies tend to drive us away from those teachers who point us to the right rather than the desired path – and much later, we wonder why we ended up on a path full of brambles rather than where we needed to be!

The teaching here, be it Gibran or Kabir, is not to ignore the one who corrects us but rather to be intelligent and rational, rather than emotional and desire-led, in our choice of guide.

True love is the simplest path to service. And true service is the only path to liberation.

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.”
– Thomas Merton
 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर प्रेम न चखिया, चखी न लिया सौ ।
सूने घर का पहुना, ज्यों आवे त्यों जाउ||

Transliterated:
Kabir Prem Na Chakhiya, Chakhi Na Liya Sau |
Soone Ghar Ka Pahuna, Jyon Aawe Tyon Jaau||

Translation:
Kabir says that he who has not experienced love, has not tasted the nectar or love |
Is like the visitor who came to an empty house, rand the bell, and left with no meeting ||

My understanding:
So let us drive down this path of understanding love more properly. Experiencing true love seems to be a primary purpose of life, going by the above couplet. Here Kabir is rather explicit, saying that the absence of love is akin to a wasted visit – a life without love is a life of wasted purpose.

What is this love referenced here? This is neither lust not infatuation – which is what we experience normally and presume to be love. Love is service in its truest form – thought, action or direction designed to satisfy the other, with absolutely no expectation of result or reciprocation for the self. The act is the satisfaction, the act is the result, and the act is the consequence.

My sense of awareness says, “I am me – I am engrossed in this life and its actions, and am justifiably desirous of the resultant enjoyment”. This lust for result drives us into the deadly embrace of desire. Desire, like fire, consumes without satiation. So I am left feeling empty and dissatisfied at the end of the act, wanting more but bereft of the energy to continue.

True sadhana is the effort to overcome this rush into the arms of desire under the guidance of ego. When the act is the cause, the act and the result, satisfaction is built into the equation already. Doing is already the result – so there is no separation of cause and effect.

The Brihaddaranyaka Upanishad says:

कामः संकल्पो विचिकित्सा श्रद्धः अश्रद्धः धृतिर्धृति
हृदिरभीररित्येतत् सर्वं मां एवती ॥

Kamaho Sankalpo Vichikitsaa Shraddhha Ashraddhha Dhritirdhriti
Hridirbhirarityetat Sarvam Mama Eveti ||

Meaning: Desires, resolves, doubts, faith, hate, patience, anxiety, shyness, knowledge, fear – all of them are in the mind.

To overcome all of these by myself is nigh impossible. As I overcome one or two or even three, the others will take advantage of my lack of attention to them and overcome me rather effortlessly.

This is very similar to a walk down an unknown path in utter darkness. No matter how careful I am, I will stumble, fall, twist an ankle, hurt myself, or do myself some serious harm. Even if the path were without any inherent danger, my anticipation of the worst will ensure I do something stupid and cause trouble for me.

But that same walk, taken while holding the hand of someone I trust, will be a walk down a sunny path. There is no darkness for the other is my light and shining beacon. That which was an obstacle will now work to be of service to me, not a stumbling block.

This is true love. Connect with the self, let each action and though be born to serve another, and understand that the action is its own reward. Life then becomes its own reward. And we will begin to understand the true meaning of liberation (moksha).

Seek to give, strive to serve, and receive eternal joy boundlessly!

“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”

– Kahlil Gibran

Kabir – The couplet

कागा काको धन हरै, कोयल काको देत |

मीठा शब्द सुनाये के , जग अपनो कर लेत।|

Transliterated:

kaga kako dhan harai, koel kako det |

Meetha sabd sunai ke, jag aapno kari let ||

Translation:

The crow does not take anyone’s wealth, the cuckoo does not give to anyone |

It turns the world to itself only by speaking in a sweet voice ||

My understanding:

The more technology and information work to inform us of extensive detail all around us, the human has focused deeper on instant gratification and trying to find satisfaction in possession. But our culture, the wisdom of our ancients and our own instinct tells us that giving, not taking or holding, has the real key to unlock the door to satisfaction and inner peace.Even as we learn and hone this lesson and work to internalize it, a key item is missed – possession is not just physical. The mind keeps more junk locked away in the folds of memory than we are willing to accept. So after every spring cleaning in the house, we need to practice the same effort in the mind – give up those negative memories, cleanse out the uncertainties in the mind and forgive every imagined or perceived slight and negative word/thought. This will arm us with the right perspective and the ability to step into each moment with the innocence of the new-born – and receive nature’s bounty continuously in bounds!

Let the true self shine through

“When you stop living your life based on what others think of you real life begins. At that moment, you will finally see the door of self-acceptance opened.”

– Shannon L. Alder

Kabir – The couplet
भक्ति भेष बहु अंतरा, जैसे धरणि आकाष |

भक्ति लीन गुरु चरण में, भेष जगत की आस ||

Transliterated:
Bhakti bheSh bahu antara, jaise dharani akaas |

Bhakti leen Guru charan me, bheSh jagat ki aas ||

Translation:
The is a difference between being devoted and wearing a devotee’s dress – as between the sky and earth |
Devotion comes at the Teacher’s feet – the dress is to impress the rest of the world ||

My understanding:
Our daily actions are normally driven by how we want others to perceive us, or by our effort to be what others expect us to be. But all this achieves is that we become a reflection of our perception of others – which is true neither to our self or to the other. To be truly myself is when I can be honest and free – which is the only way to let my internal light shine through. When I present myself as myself, and not a reflection of someone or something else, I will always find acceptance – and the world will reciprocate back with true value for me.

Seek not more than you need

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” – Erich Fromm, Escape From Freedom

Kabir – The couplet
साधु गाँठ न बंधाई, उदर समाता ले,

आगे पाँचें हरी खड़े, जब मांगे तब दे ||


Transliterated:
Sadhu gaanTh na bandhaai, udar samaata le |
aage paanche Hari kHade, jab maange tab de ||

Translation:
The knowing one (enlightened one) does not tie the self down with possessions, taking only as much as is needed |
He knows that the Lord is all around, providing as soon as the need arises||

My understanding:
Greed, and not need, seems to be the driving force in our life today. We want, but care little for what we are giving up satisfying our thirst for “more”. This has led to our situation of extreme hunger amid plenty.

Today, our knowledge and innovation has taught us to produce more, create much more from the same set of resources, and be able to expand our presence into much larger spaces at the same time with the use of technology.

However, our greed is training us to limit and shutter access to this knowledge and resources, so that the individual can collect more – even if most of the collections are gathering dust an demanding more from the collector for their preservation.

As Nietzsche said, “Even the most beautiful scenery is no longer assured of our love after we have lived in it for three months, and some distant coast attracts our avarice: possessions are generally diminished by possession.”

So, let things be where they are, seek only that which is absolutely necessary, and suddenly you will find yourself swimming in the river of plenty, instead of struggling in the desert of desire.

Seek not more than you need

Saptaha Deeksha – Sreepada Sreevallabha Charitaamrutam parayana

Doing the 7-day parayanam of Sreepada Sreevallabha Charitaamrutam – feels wonderful!

Monday – 7:30 PM – 9:30PM – Chapters 1-6
Tuesday – 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM – Chapters 7-12
Wednesday – 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM- Chapters 13-18
Thursday – 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM – Chapters 19-22
Friday – 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM – Chapters 23-34
Saturday – 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM – Chapters 35-42
Sunday – 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM – Chapters 43-53
Such a joy in the seva!

To see the one doing the seeing, I need other than eyes

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”– Col 1:16

Kabir – The couplet
जगत जानियो जिहि सकल, सो जग जानियो नाहि ।
ज्यो आँखें सब देखिये, आँखें न देखि जाहि ॥

Transliterated:
Jagat Janiyo Jihi Sakal, So Jag Janyo Naahi |
Jyo Aankhen Sab Dekhiye, Aankhen Na Dekhi Jaahi ||

Translation:
He who makes us aware of the world, the world is unaware of Him |
Theses eyes that show us everything, we cannot see them ourselves  ||

My understanding:
This is the simplest way to understand the need for the guru, the guide. I cannot see my own eyes, but without them, I see nothing in the physical world. I need someone to tell me that I have eyes, for else I would be unaware of them – obviously, since I cannot see them!

All power, all realization, all knowledge sources from inside of me, but I stay unaware of my own depths until the proper guide introduces me to the complete me, and educates me on how to work with me.

And this is where the internet, the library and my ability to read, comprehend and understand fail me by either misleading me or blinding me to the WHOLE truth. For to read is one thing – but I can only look for something based on what I know, what I understand, what I infer. I cannot look for and therefore learn that which I do not know of. And if I do not know of it, I will never be able to find that one elusive thread that will link everything in a way that makes complete sense.

The guru, the guide, the one who lights the path – He is the one who can not only show me the next appropriate path to walk on, but also keep awakening the right response in me so I can look for, understand, comprehend and then develop myself to the next level at every moment.

So now the prayer –
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu,  Guru Devo Maheswara
Guru Saakshaat Parabhrahma, Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha

गुरुर ब्रह्मा गुरुर विष्णु गुरु देवो महेश्वरः
गुरु साक्षात परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः

Guru – the Guide – is the one who dispels darkness – in the mind, in the soul, in the heart. Guru is the one who is beyond the Gunas (fundamental subtle qualities) of Tamas (ignorance/darkness), Rajas (activity/aggression) and Sattwa (happiness/benignness) and beyond form.

To that Guru, my obeisance – for without His guidance, I am but a clay doll without rational function.