Monthly Archives: March 2011

2011
03/30

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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Self conceit is the very daughter of self will – Charles Kingsley

“If one regards himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of the body that is impermanent, painful and subject to change, what else is it than not seeing reality? Or if one regards himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of feelings, perceptions, volitions or consciousness, what else is it than not seeing reality? If one does not regard himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of the body, the feelings, perceptions, volitions or consciousness what else is it than seeing reality?”
— SN 22.49 (Buddhist teachings)

Kabir – The couplet
?????? ?? ????? ????, ??? ????? ???? |
???? ??? ?????, ??? ????? ??? ||

transliterated:
Gyani se kahiye kya, kahat Kabira lajaaye|
Andhe aage naachte, kala akaarat jaaye ||

Translation:
How can I say anything to a learned man, says Kabir, shyly |
Dancing in front of a blind man, is of no avail to the art form||

My thoughts:

“A feeling of superiority is a very pleasant mental state, but it is essentially akusala — unhealthy and unskilled, highly dangerous in its results.” – What Can Be Done About Conceit? by Dr. Elizabeth Ashby
Pride inevitably lands us at the feet of conceit – which can give the body and the physical brain a very addictive (but short-lived) high.

Pride and conceit do drive a person to work for more – but the high from each “achievement” is very short-lived – driving the person to attempt the next “achievement” – and the low from each even partial failure can be debilitating.

That was why our elders preach moderation and a calm detachment – as Lord Krishna
preached to Arjuna (in the Bhagawad Gita) , it is our job to do what we need to do – results will come but that cannot be our focus. Our job is to do our tasks with a sense of calm detachment (the detachment is from the result, not the task itself).

Pride and conceit lead to addiction and ultimate failure. Peaceful outlook and calm satisfaction will ALWAYS lead to happiness and hence realization of Life’s true goals.

2011
03/09

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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Pride leads to loneliness

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“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”
– C.S.Lewis

Kabir – The couplet
??? ?????? ? ??????, ??? ???? ????? |
?? ??? ??? ?? ??????, ???? ??????? ??? ||

transliterated:
Kade abhimaan na kijiye, kaha Kabir samjhaye|
Ja seer aha jo sanchare, pade chaurasiya jaaye ||

Translation:
Do not practice pride, teaches Kabir as he explains |
He whose head floats in the clod of pride, is lonely even in the town square||

My thoughts:

Pride is one of the primary cardinal sins we are always warned to stay away from, and yet it is our first resort, our primary comfort zone and our provider of solace for many of our failings.

When I do not make it to the next level, pride tells me the game was designed in a faulty manner. When I fail, pride preaches that success was not an option made available, and my failure was really masked success. When I do not know the answer, pride prevents me from reaching out to seek help and find answers.

Pride distances the individual from the group, when, by design, we are a social being that achieves greatness by participating in the larger whole. We increase our individuality when we fully integrate into the larger society, and yet this truism is lost as we succumb to the lure of pride.

Pride is the hidden poison we need to stay away from.

2011
03/07

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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A good name is the only true wealth

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“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. “
– Ecclesiastes

Kabir – The couplet
?? ??? ? ???? ???, ??? ???? ? ??? |
??? ????? ?? ???, ?? ?? ?????? ??? ||

transliterated:
Dhan rahe na yauvan rahe, rahe gaanv na dham |
Kahe Kabira jas rahe, kar de kisika kaam ||

Translation:
Wealth does not endure, nor youth; village and holy space will also succumb to time |
Say Kabir, a good name will live eternal – go out and help someone in need||

My thoughts:

Solomon (in the book of Ecclesiastes) presents an interesting concept – that the day of death is to be celebrated rather than the day of birth. In expanding that thought, there is a different way of seeing the purpose of life.

When we come into this world, we have a clean slate – no baggage, unknown purpose and a clear lack of dependencies. By the time we are done with our life, we have all three, and perhaps a lot more.

In the process of living our life, we accumulate joy, pain, satisfaction, frustration, and a host of other conflicting emotional baggage. Death is the moment when we are relieved of this and we return to a state of peace and oneness with the universe.

This is also true for all that is a creation or construct of this material world. Commerce and wealth are part of only the material world – so also the house, the village, and our place of reaching out to a higher power (pilgrimage place, temple, church). The soul, God, the Maker, the higher power, are all omnipresent and omniscient. We, in human form, need to define material space – not the soul.

The true wealth of a good name, too, is eternal – who forgets the name of David, Ashoka, Mahatma Gandhi or Helen Keller? When we serve without thought for a result other than making the served satisfied, we receive a great wealth in return. When we do with result(s) anticipated, we may get some of the result – but none of the name.

We get exactly what we give – no more and no less.

2011
03/04

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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The secret of receiving is in giving

“The giving of wealth results in obtaining wealth, the giving of teaching results in obtaining wisdom, the giving of fearlessness results in obtaining health and long life.”
Buddhist teaching

Kabir – The couplet
??????? ???? ?? ?? ???, ??? ?? ????? ? ??? |
??? ??? ?? ? ???, ?? ??? ??? ???? ||

transliterated:
Chidiya chonch bhar le gayi, nadi ka ghatyo na neer |
Daan diye dhan na ghate, keh gayo daas Kabir ||

Translation:
The beakful of water the bird takes, makes no difference to the river’s volume |
Donations do not reduce one’s wealth, so says Sage Kabir||

My understanding:

Giving is the best way or receiving and retaining – no matter what we are talking about. Wealth, knowledge, peace, and harmony – even the negatives like anger, jealousy and pride – all increase for us as we learn to give and share.

This is one of the greatest truths and yet most humans stay blinded to it by the mists of maya. This is just like a bank – until we put some money away, we do not have a balance to draw from. Unless the balance stays there for a while, it will not grow with interest.

Similarly for our wealth, knowledge, peace and tranquility – the more we give, the more we are banking for our future use. For when the moment of adversity arrives, this is the only fund we can draw from. The material world cannot replenish the mind, heart or soul. Our collected deeds, goodwill and love will be our steadying oar when all else is lost.

2011
03/02

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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An old couplet – revisited

“It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.”
-unknown

Kabir – The couplet
???? ??? ??? ?? ???, ????? ?? ? ??? |
??? ????? ????? ??, ???? ?? ????? ??? ||

transliterated:
Pothi padh padh jag mua, pandit bhaya na koi |
Dhai akshar prem se, padhe so pandit hoye ||

Translation:
Reading all the books of the world, has not made a scholar ever |
A word spoken with love, has allown one to gain real wisdom||

My understanding:

I am revisiting an old favorite couplet – but going a few layers deeper (at least to my perspective).

Knowledge is not the true path to wisdom – knowledge only fills us up with facts and information. Love allows us to empathise, and hence leads to compassion. When we practice compassion, we gain an understanding – why the flower flower, why a child cries, why our friend frowns. This compassion allows us to share our own being and become part of the solution rather than create a new problem.

That, then, leads to true wisdom. Love creates empathy, which generates compassion, and compassion generates understanding , which is the soul of real wisdom.

So the sage Kabir has once again proved his intense depth – there is more hidden in this simple couplet than all the riches of the legendary Atlantis!

2011
03/01

Category:
Kabir
Philosophy

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Stubbornness has a steep price

” A mistake is not a truth because it is shared by many people, just as a truth is not false because it is emitted by a single individual. ”
– Mahatma Ghandi

Kabir – The couplet
??? ?? ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ??? ? ??? |
????? ????? ???? ????, ????? ????? ???? ??? ||

transliterated:
Ati hat naa kar baavare, hat se baat na hoy |
Jyon jyon bheege kamari, tyon tyon bhari hoy ||

Translation:
Do not insist to the point of stubbornness – insistence does not help any end be acheived |
As the bag of salt gets wetter, it only becomes heavier – not easier to carry||

My understanding:

I have often seen a child carry on for something he/she wants, and a parent give in if only to appease the child. However, this is not true of life.

No matter how long we carry on, we cannot change reality through mere word. We cannot also change behavior by demanding it for long enough.

Change needs justification. Change needs a different way of thinking. Change needs a different perspective. We can only convince people to listen to us as long as we are reasonable, as long as we make sense. Else, we become a nag and get tuned out.

If I do not want to be the heavy bag of salt, I will have to learn to be pleasant, brief and to the point. In the extreme case, the bag of salt, if left in water long enough, will have the salt melt and flow away, leaving behind only an empty bag. [In this metaphor, I am the bearer of the bag, the bag is my mind and voice, and the salt is my desire/idea. ]