Monthly Archives: February 2015

“Self-realization is the knowing – in body, mind, and soul – that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God’s omnipresence is our omnipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be. All we have to do is improve our knowing.”
– Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda
 
Kabir – The couplet
जप तप समझन साधन, सुमिरन को माहि ।
कहे कबीर बिचार कोई सुमिरन सैम कुछ नाहि ||

Transliterated:
Jap Tap Samjan Sadhan, Sab Sumiran Ko Maahi |
Kahe Kabir Bichar Koi Sumiran Sam Kuchh Nahi ||

Translation:
Chanting, austerities, restraint, all are ways to pray |
Says Kabir, realize the Self, and the object of all prayer is realized||

My understanding:
When I was first introduced to prayer, I understood God as that invisible all-powerful sky dweller who could see all I did, hear my thoughts and read my mind, granting me the wishes I deserved and punishing me with pain for my wrongs.

As I got further along my musings and interactions with prayer, I found chanting. Chanting seemed to initially put me to sleep real well – within the first few minutes of beginning chanting any time. Better than even my most difficult text books. From there I moved to meditation, austerities and the practice of restraint. All of these seemed to raise questions galore, but provided no real answers. The more I tried, the deeper in confusion I found myself.

At some point it felt pointless enough that I decided to step away from it all. And that was when I had my “eureka” moment. All the while, my questions had been directed to the world outside of me, based on the input received from my external senses. But without really understanding myself, I had neither properly tuned my senses nor taught myself to truly read the real meaning of their input. Once I understood this, I then trained myself to stop the questions so that I could really hear myself speak, perhaps for the first time. Once I heard that, it became evident that the external senses, without tuning, are slaves to the enemies of the Self, intent on misusing and destroying everything useful this body is capable of.

And there is the real heart of it all. Find the Self, recognize its voice, and prayer will be both natural and true. And you will have realized the true meaning of existence.

“There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
 
Kabir – The couplet
आपा तजे और हरि भजे, नख सीख ताजे विकार ।
सब जीवन से निरबैर रहे, साधु मति है सार ||

Transliterated:
Apa Taje Aur Hari Bhaje, Nakh Seekh Taje Vikaar |
Sab Jeevan Se Nirbair Rahe, Sadhu Mata Hai Saar||

Translation:
Give up pride, learn to pray, learn peace and give up all faults |
Be not an enemy to anyone, this is the way of saints||

My understanding:
Any path we embark on presents its destination as the ultimate goal. Our inherent sense of inertia forces us to believe that the destination of the path we step on has to be the ultimate goal. So we press through, gather our entire energies and put up what amounts to the ultimate effort. Then, on arriving at the goal, we realize there are more paths to take. At some point, the same sense of inertia dumps a sense of despondence on us, tells us that the paths will never end, and envelop us in all forms of negativity.

Rather than allow that sinking feeling to settle in, we need to shrug this off, and understand that the ability to walk each path is us satisfying the need of that moment. The goal is there to ensure we walk the path in the right direction. The destination is not the end – it is just the next beginning.

When we understand this, we can walk without being weighed down by our unreasonable expectations. Without that crushing weight on our backs, all paths become easy strolls in pleasant gardens on sunny paths filled with birdsong and pleasant scents. When that becomes our experience, life becomes unending bliss. And that is the best way to find our self. For we are bliss incarnate – it is not something external to us!

“When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you.”
– Stephen Richards
 
Kabir – The couplet
सुमिरन किया तब जानिया, तन मन रहा समाय ।
आदि अंत मध्य एक रस, भुला कबहु न जाय ||

Transliterated:
Sumiran Kiya Tab Jaaniya, Tan Man Raha Samaay |
Adi Ant Madhy Ek Ras, Bhula Kabhahu Na Jaay||

Translation:
When I meditated right, I found, a state where body and mind were dissolved |
Beginning, end and the middle were all the same, a bliss I will never forget||

My understanding:

As we begin meditation, the intrusive self immediately begins its process of disturbing the concentration – with the simple repeated question – “Am I there”? But the question deserves a response, even if the disturbance is unwelcome and distracting. How do we know we are there – that we have achieved the purpose of meditation?

A first crossroad we arrive at – light or darkness – tends to confuse us with the thought that this is our destination. If we move on, concentrate further, we are then presented with other distractions such as pleasant flavors, pleasing scents and delicate textures. Further down, we may even be treated to intensely captivating music. All of these are but distractions, side effects of starting the journey on the right path.

If the side attractions are thus, how much better can the goal be? It is indeed much better. For at some point the sense of “me” (ego) dissolves completely, and all senses merge into a formless pool of nothingness. Here there is no beginning, end, or now – there is no time, and there is no direction. There is no cause or result. There is just the sense of being, of existence at a very different space. There is only bliss (not joy, but true bliss). Not something that can be explained, only experienced.

So gently, gently, stay focused, knowing that bliss will come.

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
– Marcus Aurelius
 
Kabir – The couplet
सुमिरन थोर ही भला, जो करी जाने कोई ।
सूत न लागि बनवानी, सहज सेवा सुख होइ||

Transliterated:
Sumiran Thor Hi Bhala, Jo Kari Jane Koi |
Soot Na Lagi Banwani, Sahaj Sava Sukh Hoi ||

Translation:
Meditation, done right, for even a short while, is good when done with focus |
As thread woven right results in good cloth, even if slowly, so this breath focused in meditation weave a satisfied life||

My understanding:

When we first begin meditation, the one immediate block we come up against is distraction. The object of meditation keeps drifting out of focus, and it progressively seems to drift farther away after each attempt to refocus.

What is very important here is that once we notice we have lost focus, we need to **very gently** bring our attention back into focus again. It is important to be gentle – a harsh pull inevitably results in a complete loss of attention, or worse, scattered attention on a multitude of objects.

Think of a weaving machine. Worked gently, it slowly but surely produces soft fiber and weaves that into fabric. Frantic spinning generally results in frayed threads and destroyed raw material.

Gentle moves always result in an amiable easing into the desired direction. This is always good advice – slow it down, take it one step at a time, and rest when tired or overwhelmed. But return back to the object each time with refreshed body and renewed energy. Worked at properly, even a tiny ant will eventually dislodge the largest of boulders.

One step at a time, and we will slowly emerge into the glow of the true inner self.

“The saints, too, had wandering minds. The saints, too, had constantly to recall their constantly wandering mind-child home. They became saints because they continued to go after the little wanderer, like the Good Shepherd.”
– Peter Kreeft
 
Kabir – The couplet
सुमिरन की सुधि यूँ करो, ज्यों सुरभि सुतचहि ।
कहहि कबीर चर चरि,सुरभि बच्चुके पाहि ||

Transliterated:
Sumiran Ki Sudhi Yun Karo, Jyon Surabhi Suthchahi |
Kahahi Kabir Char Chari, Surabhi Bachchuke Paahi||

Translation:
Practice meditation in this fashion, like the cow grazing on grass |
Even as its teeth tear up the crass, its attention stays focused on its calf||

My understanding:
In anything as relative as human life, there can be no absolutes. From there follows the thought that absolute focus is not an initial reality – not at least till we have stepped beyond the self-doubt that continues to plague us at all times.

So how do I overcome the eventual drop of focus? By learning to recognize the telltale signs of faltering focus, and then taking appropriate corrective action. Endless distractions keep our self from focusing on a task as we struggle to get anything done. The simple answer to keep out distraction at bay is to point our attention to the one thing, completely ignoring the other things around until nothing else can find a way to come into focus.

Just as a clean space invites you to do work there, a clean mind allows for better focus. So de-clutter the mind. Recognize extraneous thoughts for what they are, and discard them. Do not file them away – trust the brain to be able to repeat conjuring up that random thought again when the need arises. Learn to tag, trash and dispose of garbage thoughts as soon as they show up. They not only clutter up the environment, they make the space unpleasant, and their odor drives away all sense and sensibility. We do not keep smelly garbage around the house – why then this morbid craziness that makes us retain all of those really disturbing memories and imagined moments? Get rid of them.

Maharishi Patanjali said:
ततः पुनः शातोदितौ तुल्यप्रत्ययौ चित्तस्यैकाग्रतापरिणामः |
tataḥ punaḥ śātoditau tulya-pratyayau cittasya-ikāgratā-pariṇāmaḥ |

The transition to one-pointedness, or ekagrata-parinamah, is the transition whereby human mutability (chitta) becomes perfectly balanced between arising and subsiding.

Focus on the joy you will find at this point, and use the energy generated by that expectation to keep the disturbances at bay.

“Never complain, never explain. Resist the temptation to defend yourself or make excuses.”
– Brian Tracy
 
Kabir – The couplet
ज्ञान कथे बक बक मरे, काहे करे उपाधि ।
सद्गुरु हमसे एनु कहे, सुमिरन करे समाधि ||

Transliterated:
Gyan Kathe Bak Bak Mare, Kaahe Kare Upaadhi |
Sadguru Hamse Enu Kahe, Sumiran Kare Samadhi||

Translation:
Why do you try to impress others by incessant demonstration of your knowledge |
The Guru has told me thus – meditate, silence and find true inner illumination ||

My understanding:
Our association with the external, physical world grows stronger every living moment, and each step in this path takes us further away from our association with our own self, our understanding or the reason for our existence. This association with the external, which we accept as our real world, is both our perceived El Dorado and our Waterloo. Why, one may ask?

Our acceptance of our physical existence as our real space is the veil that society and we have drawn over our collective eyes. It is not that the world is not real – it is very real. Neither is our perception of it unreal – we are very accurate in our perception of it.

However, this is where it gets tricky. We rapidly begin to color perception with expectation. Where we see a rose, we immediately try to bring our nose to it to smell, and then express disappointment when the scent is not there or not right. The rose did its best to look good – why does it need to smell the way I want it to? This colored view of the external world is what makes the view wrong – and hence the statement that the world we see is not real.

We meet a person, and stick out our hand to shake. When the person does not respond the way we expect, we cloud ourselves with doubt, unhappiness and unpleasant thoughts. Who is responsible for the unpleasantness? Me. But whom do I ascribe it to? Him. And we continue our life in this fashion, ascribing our misses to someone or something else – and hence unable to resolve them. For when the nut is broken, no fixing of the bolt will resolve the problem. We need to wither fix or replace the nut – but can do that only when we accept the problem to be with the nut.

Coming back to the couplet above, rather than spout our misplaced and wrongly notional understanding of the world, or the undigested acquired knowledge that is leading us in the wrong direction, why not focus on finding that true inner quiet so that we can take of this veil that is misrepresenting the world to us?

“If someone corrects you, and you feel offended, then you have an EGO problem.”
– Nouman Ali Khan
 
Kabir – The couplet
अहंग अग्नि ह्रदय दहे, गुरुते चाहे मन ।
तिन्हो को यम न्योता देहि, तुम हो मेरे मेजमन||

Transliterated:
Ahang Agni Hriday Dahe, Gurute Chahe Man |
Tinho Ko Yam Nyota Dehi, Tum Ho Mere Mejman||

Translation:
Ego burns a devastating fire in the heart, demands respect from even the Guru |
To such does the Lord of Death send an invitation, you are my special guest ||

My understanding:
Who is the Ultimate Guru? We say God, but then also say – “Aham Bhrahmasmi”. So that clear, lustrous, untouched pure soul – which is our true and real Self – is God, and also the Ultimate Guru.

However, the false construct called ego, in the pursuit of instant gratification, demands instant reciprocation without really thinking through either demand or consequence.

To find this Guru, we need a teacher who can help us overcome the drive of the Aham for long enough to see beyond.

However, the false construct called ego, in the pursuit of instant gratification, demands instant reciprocation without really thinking through either demand or consequence. It expects the Guru to pat me on my back for every stupidity and utterance, blocking my every attempt to learn my true identity. That leads me to lose Gurus at every moment and continue my walk into ever darker corners. That walk is the definition of “living death”.

If you see a person talking to himself, even in today’s world, we conclude that he is either on the phone or delusional. Yet, through our subservience to our ego, we all practice this exact behavior every moment, and do not call or consider ourselves mad or wrong.

Once we free our self from this subservience, we can then put the ego to its true purpose – to help us work our way to finding our true self!

The Tejabindu Upanishad says:
“Öm agamya gamya karta cha Gurumanärtha mämasa.
Mukhäni trini bindänti tridhäma Hangsa uchate.”
 
One who has centered the focus on the Self finds perfect equilibrium, and feels three kinds of joy and bliss in that perfect stillness.

This is what we need to look for to find ourselves. And then let the Self lead us to our true purpose.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
– Thích Nhất Hạnh
 
Kabir – The couplet
तू तू करता तू भया, मुझमे रहा नु हू ।
बरी फेरी बलि गई, जीत देखूं तित तू ||

Transliterated:
Tu Tu Karta Tu Bhayaa, Mujhme Raha Na Hoo |
Bari Pheri Bali Gayi, Jit Dekhun Tit Too||

Translation:
Reciting your name all the while, I forgot me completely |
My essence merged in you, my ego and troubles vaporized, everywhere I see you ||

My understanding:
A simple practice that took me forty-plus years to understand, and a few more to develop – to stay free of the deviations that desire, ego and the senses push onto me, I have to stay forever focused on the voice of the self (soul/atma/cit/God).

The wisdom of the ages teaches us to use japa (repeated chanting of the same word / name / phrase) to lead to meditative states. In that meditative state, find the true meaning of silence and the absence of ALL sensory input. At that point, you will awaken the “turiya awastha”- the state where you are one with the Self – and you can have open conversations with God/Self/Atma.

The path of worldly pursuit, recognizing the danger of allowing this, uses the ethereal construct of ego to dangle the temptations of desire in front of us, and distracts our focus in the practice of japa – hence few, if any, will truly find that true meditative/reflective state. But if you can ignore distraction for long enough (it is long enough when you connect to true silence) you can have that distraction-free conversation with the self – who will give you the direction you need to stay on the proper path to self-realization. I have walked there, and much as I keep returning back to this world’s physical spaces to take care of physical appearances and the needs born thereof, that space has so much more to offer that I find myself spending longer moments there each day.

This is not a path which you will share with anyone else – you can be shown the path, but it is up to you alone to walk it, and for each individual to make that journey all alone, divorced from all physical senses and bodily attractions and commitments. For those senses, attractions and commitments belong to the body – this is a journey of the Self separate from the physical body.

“True love is when you will do anything and everything that you can just to make your love happy.”
-Anurag Prakash Ray
 
Kabir – The couplet
प्रेम गली अति संकरी, तामे दोउ न समाई ।
जब मई था तब हरि नहीं, अब हरि हा मई नाही ||

Transliterated:
Prem Gali Ati Sankari, Tame Dou Na Samaai|
Jab Main Tha Tab Hari Nahi, Am Hari Hai Main Naahi||

Translation:
The path of love is extremely narrow, two cannot fit on it side by side |
When I was on it, Hari (The Lord) was missing, now there is Hari, not me ||

My understanding:
When I think of myself, ego surges to the fore, and places me at the center of my private version of the universe.

It took me three days of deliberation with myself to figure out how to get this statement right. So here goes where my understanding brought me to.

Our vision of love is really a sad mixture of attraction (as defined by our physical senses) and an expectation of satisfaction driven by anticipation of some reciprocation from the object of our infatuation. Love, in its true form, is when we are ready to give with no expectation of return or reward. When there is no expectation, rejection does not have existence. Love is a way to ensure that the receiver is satisfied, and it is the receiver who decides what my action will be, since the end result is the receiver’s satisfaction, not mine.

When we can learn to love in this fashion, all negativity immediately vaporizes. But ego sticks it’s thick foot in that door, and disallows such thinking. For where is its satisfaction in this play? So we need to overcome our overgrown ego before we can practice true love. And once we taste true love, ego stays subdued forever!

Which is where Kabir seems to be taking us – the egoless self is no less than God. As long as I am driven my ego, it is all about my ego. Once ego is suppressed, I can learn to understand and practice love.

“We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.”
– Pope Benedict XVI
 
Kabir – The couplet
पिया चाहे प्रेम आस, रखा चाहे मन ।
दोउ खड़ग एक मयान में, देखा सुना न मन ||

Transliterated:
Piya Chhahe Prem Aas, Rakha Chhahe Man |
Dou Khadga Ek Mayan Mein, Dekha Suna Na Man||

Translation:
The lover desires to possess (the full) love (of the lover), but also wants to retain his own heart |
Two swords in one scabbard, this is not something normal or workable ||

My understanding:
This week, as I continue to reflect on the stranglehold ego possesses on the self, I am watching the play of ego in trying to subvert the self into a confused plethora of emotions – all designed to distract, confuse, and remove the focus of the mind from the self to more immediate physical needs (which on closer inspection do not justify their presence as any need, true or otherwise).
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If this is the state when this is my primary focus, what protection does the average person have in a normal life where society, family and the “pressures” of the day rule roost on the day’s priorities?

If so, are those priorities right? I asked the question, and forced myself to stay calm in the face of the presented storm. Slowly, all of them, spent in the absence of their fuel (emotion), died down, and I began to realize that the frenzy was just a false front designed to scare me into submission, not a presentation of reality. As they died, I began to realize that calm is my natural state – not otherwise as life has led me to believe.

This allows me to look at the activity from a position of great inner strength, and has realigned my day for me.

Try it – this is truly liberating!

“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
ह्रदय भीतर आरसी, मुख देखा नहीं जाय ।
मुख तो तबही देखिलो, जब दिल की दुविधा जाय||

Transliterated:
Hriday Bheetar Aarasi, Much Dekha Nahin Jaay |
Much To Tabahi Dekhile, Jab Dil Ki Duvidha Jaay ||

Translation:
There is a mirror in your heart, but you do not see your face there |
Your face will show in that mirror, only when you let go of all doubt and distraction ||

My understanding:
We have spent our whole life modeling the perceived self for achievement and success as defined by our understanding of expectations of those we live amidst, those we look up to, and those we perceive and accept as models of success and excellence.

In the process of modeling, we have plastered our entire presented exterior over and over again, till the visage bears no resemblance or relation to the original self that however still remains the driver and source of life energy for the visage.

At some point, this exterior becomes so large and onerous that it is all we can do to just provide sufficient energy to keep it running and up. Our entire life force and more is spent just maintaining the view – to the extent where we cannot take a breath or spend a moment with ourselves in peaceful quietude.

Think about it – how often did you hold back on saying something to someone, afraid of their or the community’s reaction? Even if it was the right thing or a true thought? Think of the number of actions you stopped yourself from taking, for fear of appearing foolish or being ridiculed – even when the action was correct and/or involved being genuinely helpful? Even now, can you free yourself sufficiently to walk out of the door you are currently behind, and declare to the space outside, in loud clear words, your thanks and joy at being alive and in the presence of the world? Will you worry about what someone else may think or say about your actions and words?

Until we free ourselves from these social and self-imposed shackles, we cannot float free. Until we are free, the mind does not become quiet enough to listen to the true self. Until we are able to listen to the true self, our proper sense of discrimination does not find the light of day. And until that happens, we cannot break free of the prison of ego and desire.

So train to break free – and learn to stay free and move in the right direction. Any regression only strengthens the prison, making the next attempt to break free that much more difficult!

“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.”
– Ray Bradbury
 
Kabir – The couplet
जो तू चाहे मुक्ति को, छोड़ दे सबकी आस ।
मुक्त ही जैसा हो रहे, सब कुछ तेरे पास ||

Transliterated:
Jo Tu Chaahe Mukti Ko, Chhod De Sabki Aas |
Mukt Hi Jaisa Ho Rahe, Sab Kuch Tere Paas||

Translation:
If it is liberation you desire, then first liberate yourself from desire |
Once you find liberation, you will find that all is with you ||

My understanding:
Was desire born first, or was it born from the desire for freedom?

As long as we are bound by desire, are we really free? For our desires bind our every action and limit thought to a narrow space targeted to fulfilling the desire. And every step generates new desire, until it is desire that is driving every thought, action and breath, not free will.

When the thought of free will floats to the top, desire cloaks the thought in itself, and slowly but surely bends the self to its will, rather than allow the self to emerge, free of desire, if only for a moment.

Look at our daily life, and this is borne out in our every moment. How often do you wake up because you want to? We wake up because it is time to get to do the next planned activity. That activity is planned because it will step us a little more towards a desired goal. That goal could be our job, work in the house, preparing breakfast or working out in the gym.

We do our job, not because the job needs doing, but because we want the salary the job pays. And the desire deludes us into believing that we are really doing the job because that is what we want to do. We work out, more often than not, to impress others with the results, not because the body needs to exercise. We cook to get the accolades, not because it is the right food to feed.

All of our actions are driven by a desired result, not by the purity of the action itself. Until we break out of the result-driven desire, we will not be able to open our eyes to the full potential of the action.

Realizing this is but the first step. The next few are the difficult ones – to catch the drive of desire, and overcome the drive so the thought and action flower naturally. Once we achieve that state, then we have to discipline the self to carefully nurture the newfound freedom, water and feed it and allow it to fully blossom.

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
– William Penn
 
Kabir – The couplet
काजल कारी कोठरी, तैसा यह संसार ।
बलिहारी वोह दास की, पैठि के निक्सन हार ||

Transliterated:
Kajal Kaari Kothari, Taisa Yeh Sansaar |
Balihari Wo Das Ki, Paithi Ke Niksan Haar ||

Translation:
A cellar as dark and dirty as coal, that is how this world is |
Great is that devotee, who passes through this cellar unsoiled ||

My understanding:
Another interesting thought – what is our relation to life on earth?

The guidance the masters have continuously sought to give us is that while it looks like this is all we have at the moment, this life is but one more path we have to traverse in our journey to rejoining the ultimate.

If we take care and focus on the objective, it is possible not to get distracted, attracted to trivia or mislead the self onto incorrect paths. But each of these is a decision we have to consciously make. Each decision has a consequence. Each choice we make means we are consciously giving up something and selecting the other. Do we choose to satisfy desire in the hope of instant gratification, or suppress and conquer desire, and perhaps never know what that satisfaction of feeding desire may have felt like?

This is the stranglehold desire and ego have on us – even if we do not satisfy them or satiate them, they show us visions of a promised land and dangle it in front of us – the carrot at the end of a stick that never comes closer or moves any further away.

How do we overcome the attraction to the carrot we never will reach? By giving up any attachment to the attraction itself. Easier said than done, especially since that is the one constant feed into the physical senses. So we have to master the art of shutting down the physical senses long enough to awaken the inner senses, and focus well enough to be able to understand and follow their direction.

One more step in a long journey, one that we have to take at some time. No matter how long or when.

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.
– Joseph Campbell
 
Kabir – The couplet
हंसी हंसी कांत न पायी, जिन पाया तीन रोये ।
जो हंसी ही हरी मिले, तो कौन दोहागिन होए॥
Transliterated:
Hansi Hansi Kant Na Paayi, Jin Paaya Tin Roye |
Jo Hansi Hi Hari Mile, To Kaun Dohagin Hoye ||

Translation:
Laughing did not lead you to God, only the (realization of) the pain separation led to Him |
If worldly joy can lead us to God, why would there be any unfortunate separated from true bliss? ||

My understanding:
We often ask the question – “Where is God? Show me.” But perhaps the better question is “What is God?”

For the earlier question presupposes that you have already understood/defined the persona of God, and are now only looking for the where. But without truly understanding what God is, how can we know the true meaning of the statement “God is here” – or even more relevant, recognize God when God is in front of us?

So, hidden inside this little couplet, I am beginning to see the glimmer of a different light. It is telling me – do not be led astray by the superficiality of the external world, and its simple temporary pleasures. Laugh with the world, but do not get sucked into the belief that that is bliss. Understand that this is very ephemeral, and that there is a real joy and bliss that is forever. Let this just be a taste of what is possible, and use this to lead oneself to that greater presence and joy.

Hence the second line – if everyone did find that inner joy, the false platitudes of the external world would get burned away in an instant!

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”
– Kahlil Gibran
 
Kabir – The couplet
केसों कहा बिगाडिया, जे मुंडे सौ बार ।
मन को काहे नो मूंडिये, जा में विष विकार ॥
Transliterated:
Keson Kaha Bigadia, Je Moonde Sau Baar |
Man Ko Kahe Na Moondiye, Jaamein Vishey Vikaar ||

Translation:
What harm did (facial) hair do to you, that you shave it off so often? |
Why not shave off the mind – it has accumulated so many poisons and deformities ||

My understanding:
The last few days, I have been reflecting on denying/negating/getting rid of ego. But where I kept getting stuck is that, as soon as you shut out any aspect of the self, it puts up a stiff fight to regain its place, and keeps battering at the blocks till it finds a way back. When it does, it now erects new defenses to ensure that it will not be overcome so easily the next time – making our job that much more difficult.

To succeed, we have to behave like a permeable membrane – we need to let things be, but not succumb. So the advice really seems to have to morph to – let the ego be, but do not allow it to direct life. Become the observer – listen to what the ego says, same as one listens to all else. Absorb input, but do not react. Instead, allow the self to sally forth and just be – the observer that watches, learns and absorbs, without action, reaction, or interaction.

Then our actions will slowly morph to be what they need to be, not what the ego wants them to be. This will make our attitude the right one at every juncture, and we will see the world for what it really is.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
– Norman Maclean
 
Kabir – The couplet
हेरत हेरत हे सखी, रहा कबीर हेराइ ।
बूँद समाई समुंद में, सो कत हरी जाइ ||
Transliterated:
Herat Herat He Sakhi, Rahaa Kabir Heraai |
Boond Samaai Samund Mein, So Kat Heri Jaai||

Translation:
Searching over and over, I got lost in Him (God)
Now this drop is merged in the ocean, where can one search for the drop? ||

My understanding:
The ego, in its infinite wisdom, insists on creating an ephemeral persona, and labels that the self. It then forces us to associate our entire existence with that which is thinner than ether, and subjugates our thinking to its attempts to perpetuate that which cannot withstand the first gust of wind.

When adversity strikes, rather than bow to the inevitable, the ego forces us to tack blame for both the cause and effect on anything external to itself – and convinces us so well of the validity of the argument that we are willing to take up cudgels with the world on its behalf.

This construct of the ego is the identity we have to give up – once we do that, we instantly find our true calling and purpose in this world as well as the next – and find everlasting peace and the joy that never depletes.

“Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”
– Winston Churchill
 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीरा कलह अरु कल्पना. सत संगती से जाय ।
दुःख बासे भागा फिरै, सुख में रहे समाय||
Transliterated:
Kabira Kalah Aru Kalpana, Sat Sangati Se Jaay |
Dukh Baase Bhaaga Phirai, Sukh Mein Rahai Samaay||

Translation:
Says Kabir, conflict and (bad) imagination, will all vanish in the right company |
Sorrow, pain, unpleasantness, all run away, the mind stays centered in peace ||

My understanding:
We humans tend to mimic the space we are in – so goes the famous saying – “When in Rome, be like a Roman”!

When we stand on our own, we rapidly try to “correct” the situation by looking for company. And then we succumb to the company’s mode of behavior, instead of retaining our own while imbibing that which should be imbibed.

As Churchill so aptly pointed out, we do sometimes even figure out the truth/right often, but then promptly discard it because it mostly asks us to modify behavior from crowd norm.

So, here, the message is, before we learn to fix our choices, let us pick the right environment. The right company will engender and deep-seat the right behavior. We are then better armed and ready to take on the larger world with lesser scope of compromising the self and succumbing to instinct. This can help us find that lasting peace and comfort!