Monthly Archives: March 2015

“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर इस संसार को, समझौ कई बार ।
पूँछ जो पकड़े भेड़ की, उत्र्य चाहे पार ॥
 
Transliterated:
Kabir Is Sansaar Ko, Samjhau Kai Baar |
Poonch Jo Pakdai Bhed Ka, Utrya Chahai Paar  ||
 
Translation:
Says Kabir to the world, explaining over and over again|
You cannot cross the ocean of life by holding onto a sheep’s tail ||
 
My understanding:
I have talked for a while about the self, overcoming desire, staying focused and working hard to realize the self. Here then, is another very important guideline to achieving Purushartha – the object of human life.

Our ancient texts and teachers have told us of the four purusharthas – Dharma (righteousness), Artha (prosperity), Kama (pleasure) and Moksha (liberation). Consider any one of the four – to truly achieve it, we have to both stay focused and work towards the goal by ourselves, alone. What will work for me is unique to me, just sufficiently different from everyone else that I need to walk my own path, even as I study the path and methods of others so as not to repeat their mistakes.

We have to participate in society so that we can both provide to the pool of accumulated knowledge and draw from that well as per our need. But we then need to take that learning, view it through the lens our Guru has shaped for us (that is unique again to each of us – so the lens, when shared, will misguide everyone else other than the one it is shaped for), and then follow the path that reveals itself to us without allowing distractions to lead us astray.

When we develop that discipline, success is assured.

“O my wealth-coveting and foolish soul, when will you succeed in emancipating yourself from the desire for wealth? Shame on my foolishness! I have been your toy! It is thus that one becomes a slave of others. No one born on earth did ever attain to the end of desire…. Without doubt, O Desire, your heart is as hard as adamant, since though affected by a hundred distresses, you do not break into pieces! I know you, O Desire, and all those things that are dear to you! The desire for wealth can never bring happiness.”
 
– Mahabharata – Santi Parva 177
 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर जग की को कहै, भौजलि बुडे दास ।
परब्रह्म पति छड़ी करी, कराइ मान की आस ॥
 
Transliterated:
Kabir Jag Ki Ko Kahai, Bhoujli Bude Daas |
Parabrahm Pati Chhadi Kari, Karaai Maan Ki Aas  ||
 
Translation:
Says Kabir, why complain about the ordinary man, even devotees succumb|
Forgetting the true aim of their devotion, they go chasing after fame and praise ||
 
My understanding:
Desire is the one weapon that destroys all in its path, before turning on the wielder, destroying him and then and only then, does it self-destruct.

Desire drives us to lengths we would not even believe possible or acknowledge the existence of – it pushes us into dark corridors and forces us to squirm our way into untenable situations. In the early stages, it gives us a false sense of prosperity and well being, allowing us to believe that the others who warned of the impending dangers are wrong – this is in our best interest. It is only when we are so invested in it that there is no turning back, that it reveals its true dark side – but by then, two things have already happened.

1. Lenses that warp all true representations of reality have been immovably attached to our senses, so we will not be able to perceive reality, as we should.
2. Our belief structure has been changed to believe in the genuineness of the desire, so that even the best-intentioned of people can no longer change our view

So now it is too late to turn back – and hope has to move on to the next person, abandoning me to the eons of lost souls.

How do we turn back here? Only one way – listen to your own conscience. To the very end, it is diligently at work, trying to redeem us and lead us into the true light. So, before all is lost, give conscience its true worth, and its rightful place in the court of the self. And pay attention – for desire can reduce the voice of conscience to a silent whisper, even if it cannot completely silence it!

“nāty-aśnatas tu yogo ’sti, na caikāntam anaśnataḥ

na cāti-svapna-śīlasya, jāgrato naiva cārjuna”

There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.
– Bhagavad Gita 6.16
 
Kabir – The couplet
कामी लज्या न कराइ, मन माहे अहिलाद ।
नींद न मंगरी संतरा, भूखी न मांगे स्वाद ॥
 
Transliterated:
Kaami Lajja Na Karai, Man Mohe Ahilaad |
Neend Na Maangri Santara, Bhookhi Na Maange Swaad ||
 
Translation:
A person in the grips of passion has no shame, his mind is busy elsewhere|
The sleepy one is not looking for a feather bed, the hungry one cares little for taste ||
 
My understanding:
Moderation. What a beautiful concept – and so very easily forgotten. The enemy of relentless desire, the closest ally of the determined, moderation is one tool that can help us rapidly work our way closer to perfection.

Suppressing desire only makes it stronger. Denying ourselves of simple satisfaction or starving ourselves of anything only teaches us to wait for the opportune moment, and overindulge at the first presented opportunity.

In this way, we seem to expend a lot of the precious resource of time vacillating between two extremes, unable to stop or maintain steady state in the middle, even when we recognize it.  One of the more subtle teachings of discipline and the art of control is to have just enough to stave of the need for more, without allowing it to develop into want or lust.

When we start listening to the subtle messages from the body and mind that help generate control, instead of the desire-driven senses that always end up pushing us over the cliff, we are no longer scrambling to find ways to break falls or clamber back to the place we had already arrived at earlier before the fall. Our energies can then be more calmly and purposefully used to help us climb higher always rather than running at full speed to just stay where we are.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”   – Siddartha Guatama Buddha
 
Kabir – The couplet
देह धरे का दंड, सब कहु को होइ ।
ज्ञानी भोगै ज्ञान से, मूरख भोगै रोइ ॥
 
Transliterated:
Deh Dhare Ka Dand, Sab Kahu Ko Hoi |
Gyani Bhogai Gyan Se, Murakh Bhogai Roi ||
 
Translation:
As long as we have the body, its suffering comes as part of the deal – for everyone|
The learned one deals with it with acceptance, the ignorant cries out in complaint ||
 
My understanding:
As long as we want, the satisfaction of the demand brings with it a price. If I want joy, there is a payload of sorrow attached. The sorrow may not directly be for me, but then it will show up in someone close to me, and their sorrow will give me grief as a result. Pleasure is always attached to pain. Calmness stays connected to agitation. Orthodoxy is closely related to unorthodoxy. Right is born from wrong, and stays as a conjoined twin.

As a wise man said, the golden deer attracts, but its possession brings with it the inherent possession of its not-so-golden baggage of negativity and bad karma. As long as I crave for anything, the satisfaction of the craving still leaves me the loser ultimately.

So the goals of becoming calm, peaceful, understanding, stable, physically satisfied and finding centered-ness are all but intermediate goals, steps to help us move closer to an understanding of the true self, and not an end unto themselves. Each is a step in the right direction – not the final step into bliss. The closer we get, the stronger are the distractions and the drag of attractions striving to get us off the path to bliss. Each step of progress is meant to give us greater strength to stave off the distraction and overcome temptation.

Hence, it is truly critical to learn to focus on learning the lessons at each stage and simultaneously learn to conserve power and build stamina. From the physical aspect, this means to build the ability to ignore the claims of the body demanding food (initially just food, but then quickly followed by specific taste demands), sleep (and then laziness), comfort, pleasant sounds and praise of the physical self. At a mental level, these translate to increasing focus on the understanding of the self, ignoring all other input.  For once the self is truly understood, we learn to become the observer and stop being a participant. That is when action happens because it is needed, not because we want it or will it. And so that is the next stage to aim for!

“Freedom is to stand alone, unattached and unafraid, free in the understanding of desire which breeds illusion.”
J.Krishnamurthi
 
Kabir – The couplet
पुत्र पियारो पितः को, गोहाटी लागि ढाई ।
लोभ मिठाई हाथी दे, अपन गया भुलाई॥
 
Transliterated:
Putr Piyaari Pitah Ko, Gohari Lagi Dhai |
Lobh Mithai Haathi De, Apan Gaya Bhulai ||
 
Translation:
The son (soul) with love calls for the father (God), wants to race to embrace Him|
The Father, playing on the son’s desire, places some sweets in his hands, and hides Himself  ||
 
My understanding:
So here we are, back in the world of trying to come to terms with understanding the real self. When born, still not caught up in the attractions of the world, we are deeply focused on being one with The One. However, God, in His infinite wisdom, wants us to pass through the fire of desire and emerge victorious before allowing us back into the warmth of His Embrace.

So this is the test in front of us – and the only way through to the next stage. We do not have an option – we have to succeed – even if it takes many tries and multiple lifetimes. God is merciful – there are no limits on tries or an expiration timer in play. But we do not get through without passing through the door at the end of this tunnel.

Here then, is an interesting thought – if this is preparation for the next stage, what distractions has that stage got to offer? If the attractions of this world are so debilitating as to consume whole lifetimes without us noticing the passage of time, what are the next set going to do to us if we are not prepared?

Before we run away there though, how do we pass muster here? How do we make it past the current obstacle course? Here, it is not just the hurdles – the entire floor is strewn with debris that we have to learn to avoid landing on even as we race though, jumping over hurdles that pop up in our path when we are least prepared for them. To succeed, we need focus – we need to keep only our goal in sight, and not allow our senses to look at and get distracted by the flashy signs that keep trying to force their way into our face and being.

Focus, stay undeterred, and God will help us win!

Warm regards,
Mani
[this thread of Kabir is archived at https://www.akella.org/mani/?cat=5]

“Laziness erodes a person of his enthusiasm and energy. As a result the person loses all opportunities and finally becomes dejected and frustrated. The worst thing is that he stops believing in himself.”
The Sama Veda
 
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर सोता क्या करे, सोते जोई अकाज ।
ब्रह्म को आसन त्यागा, सोयत काल की आज॥
 
Transliterated:
Kabir Sotaa Kya Kare, Sote Joi Akaaj |
Brahm Ko Aasan Tyaaga, Soyat Kaal Ki Aaj ||
 
Translation:
Asks Kabir, why are you asleep? –  asleep, you can resolve nothing (no karma)|
When Brahma (The Creator) slept, even he lost his seat of prominence at the hands of Time ||
 
My understanding:
Sleep is a basic requirement of the body. Just like any machine, appropriate cycles of rest are required to recharge, reenergize and repair the physical stresses that the body puts up with in all the waking moments. However, sleep for rest is different from sleep due to laziness. When you are truly tired, it is not laziness that makes you sleep – there is no physically possible way to stay awake at that moment. But when you can, but want to “relax” a little more because, well, the moment can be made to allow for it – well, that is grade A laziness.

Life may seem long, but we are given only enough time in this life to figure out, learn how to and then accomplishing the tasks set out for us. However, on discovering the “right” of independent decision making and finding that we could choose to be masters of our destiny, we promptly learn to succumb to desire, the guidance of the society around us and the habit of keeping up with the neighbor. We chart out complex courses for the journey of life, and try to find land where none really exists.

After the effort, when we do not find the promised land (conveniently forgetting that it was really us and no one else who did the promising) we claim tiredness, misdirection of others, fate and the vagaries of time, and give up. All this really does is reset the clock for us. For until we get from where we are to the next stage, there is no way to commence the next phase of the journey. So we, and no one else, is responsible for us not being able to get to that phase.

As wise men said, those who do not learn from history are forced to repeat it. And if we do not give up this laziness and stay focused instead of succumbing to desire and misdirection, that is the ‘fate’ we are condemning ourselves to!

“The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg,
and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs.”
James Allen
 
Kabir – The couplet
तन को जोगी सब करे, मन को बिरला कोई ।
सहजै सब बिधि पाइए, जो मन जोगी होइ ॥
 
Transliterated:
Tan Ko Jogi Sab Kare, Man Ko Birla Koi |
Sahajai Sab Bidhi Paiye, Jo Man Jogi Hoi ||
 
Translation:
Everyone puts on an external show of being faithful, but few let faith penetrate into the heart |
He will find all within easy grasp, who becomes a saint at heart ||
 
My understanding:
The cycle of seasons teaches us its own lessons, with Mother Nature as the teacher. After the cold of winter, the heady rush of spring pushes through new growth, awakening and releasing all the stored energy from the long rest. Fresh air blows through, blowing away the dust that has gathered, and the sun warms and awakens the slumber of even the one in the darkest of recesses.  As spring turns to summer, growth matures, and lessons firm up. Autumn brings with it nurturing rain, bathing us with invigorating showers, before preparing us for the slumber that will allow tired bodies to take a well-deserved rest, before stepping into the next cycle of growth, learning and fresh activity.

But all of this happens only when the energies of the cycle touch and work on the inside, the core, the soul. If it is only the outside that is painted to look clean, the inside slowly rots and wastes away, till it can no longer support the external façade. At that point, the entire edifice crumples and comes down into another sorry heap.

So let life warm us up from the inside, and let us allow the warmth penetrate to the deepest recesses of our being – then we can truly understand and enjoy being alive!

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abraham Lincoln
 
Kabir – The couplet
जिन जिन संभल न कियो, अस पुर पतन पाई ।
झाली पड़े दिन अथये, संभल कियो न जाई ||
 
Transliterated:
Jin Jin Sambhal Na Kiyo, As Pur Patan Paai |
Jhaali Pade Din Athaye, Sambhal Kiyo Na Jaai ||
 
Translation:
Even if visiting the big city, if one journeys without packing food (without preparation) |
Come night, in a strange place, the unprepared has to suffer from lack of provisions ||
 
My understanding:
The grand city with all its bright lights, loud noises and grand mysterious attractions is the physical world. The vehicle we have to make this journey is the physical body. Daytime is when we seem to be in control and have comprehension of the world and our environment. Dusk and dawn are those hazy times when, either under the influence of external stimulants or because of the confusion generated by conflicting thoughts and emotions, all our senses are only partially aware of the world and environment, and the brain has to work to fill it the gaps in any way it feels appropriate to create a picture of the world as it perceives it (since the senses at that moment will paint an incomplete picture).

Darkness is when we are completely at a loss to understand either input or emotion – when desire is in conflict with reality, and we have no way to step through or break the impasse in our mind.

Preparedness for this – the food we need to pack – is to learn the art of meditation. When we meditate, truly meditate, the input of the physical senses as well as the cacophony of the confused mind is tuned out almost completely, allowing us to remain calm – and there lies the solution to the presented problem. This is the only way to quieten the crazed motion of the confused self, and arrive at the optimal solution to the situation.

But we cannot learn to be calm while in the middle of a storm – that is what we have to prepare for much ahead of the eventual moment. The learning, in addition to preparing us for then, will also give us insight into the other graces of the world, and perhaps show us paths and methods we were completely unaware of. So even the training is full of great gifts – why not start on the path today?

“Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be obtained only by someone who is detached.”
Simone Weil
 
Kabir – The couplet
जब लग भक्ति सकामता, तब लग निर्फळ सेव ।
कहै कबीर वह क्यों मिलै, निष्कामी निज देव ||
 
Transliterated:
Jab Lag Bhakthi Sakaamta, Tab Lag Nirphal Sev |
Kahai Kabir Vah Kyon Milai, Nishkaami Nij Dev ||
 
Translation:
When devotion is born from desire, the results do not bear fruit|
While bound by attachment, how can one get (realize) that which is always detached? ||
 
My understanding:
Once we have imbibed the teachings of the physical world around us and accepted our place in society, we have firmly become prisoners of our mind. Being prisoners, we do not turn around to question the mind that is the master, or inspect what drives the mind. But, if we take a step back, we see that this mind is driven by the input received from the physical senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. What pre-shapes the input received from the senses and conditions the way the input is perceived? A close inspection says that this is the work of desire.

All of this line of thinking helps us begin to grasp an understanding of how our desires color our perception and alter our view of the reality around us. Which is why we often are faced with statements or thoughts like “But I did not say that” or “You cannot be meaning that!”

To close the door on desire, we have to comprehend that what we get is often not what we want or expect. Every package, no matter how it is perceived, brings with it its own unwanted baggage. For example, I may want all the gold in the world, but I do not want the weight, volume or the heartache of storage and safekeeping.  Reality is, I want the value of the gold, not the gold itself. But this clarity of thought is often missing when thinking happens clouded in the haze of desire. Absent the cloud, I perceive that the want does not match my real need.  To get that value, there is a cost I have to pay – and that cost is in reality more than I can afford (time, energy, motivation, and the results do not allow me to realize the value I expected).

Once I develop this clarity of thought and vision, I can practice devotion in the only way that gives satisfaction – being devoted because I can, not because I want something in return. Then devotion will figure out exactly what I need and give it to me, and there will be no bargaining or horse-trading involved. That is the ideal to strive for!

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but a little want of knowledge is also a dangerous thing.”
Samuel Butler

Kabir – The couplet
ग्यानी मूल गवैय्या, आपन भये कर्ता ।
ता ते संसारी भला, मन में रहे डरता||

Transliterated:
Gyaani Mool Gavaiyya, Aapan Bhaye Karta |
Taa Te Sansari Bhala, Man Mein Rahe Darta ||

Translation:
Am man under the illusion of being knowledgeable has lost his roots, presumes he is God |
The householder is better than him, he at least fears God ||

My understanding:
Very often, I have found myself begin to fuel my ride on the pride speed wagon as soon as I acquire some titbit of knowledge that seems special and wondrous to me. I do not stop to inspect its true value to the world outside of me or how it can actually enhance my existence. Possession is enough – the flame of pride is already fanned and roaring!

I have used these little events – the glow of pride; the desire to go rushing out to tell someone, anyone, about this new add to me; the speeding up of breath; the desperate need to find someone to talk to – as indicators that pride/ego/the ephemeral self is awakening into dangerous spaces. That, then, is my cue to actually take a deep breath, sit down, shut out the external world and physical senses, and meditate on my Guru and the Divine Mother. In fact, anything that moves out of a serene, quiet, contemplative, attentive state is reason to go back to the fountain of quietude that Guru and Amma (Mother) and fortify the self.

Once I regain the centered self, I then look back and am able to laugh at the illusion of grandeur that simple vanity so rapidly generates, only to tear down quicker that it takes time to find the pin to prick it.

And the repeat of that review over a few occurrences starts fortifying the mind against repeating the mistake over and over again. As with everything else, it is practice and only practice that can help us become better and hence take us closer to Our True Self – one step at a time.

“Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither,
And see the Children sport upon the shore,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore.”
– William Wordsworth (Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood)

Kabir – The couplet
तन बोहित मन काग है, लाख जोजन उड़ जाइ ।
कबहु दरिया अगम बहे, हकबहु गगन समाइ ||

Transliterated:
Tan Bohit Man Kaag Hai, Lakh Jojan Ud Jaai |
Kabahu Dariya Agam Bahe, Kabahu Gagan Samai ||

Translation:
The body is a ship, the mind a bird, flying away a thousand miles |
Sometimes far away in the ocean, sometimes into the blue sky it flies ||

My understanding:
We are limited only by our senses failing to help us fully grasp our true potential. The same creative/evolutionary energy that shaped our body to what we are today also housed the mind and all associated faculties in this body. Rather than feel limited by our physical body, why not explore and see what our true potential can really be?

To better understand this, permit me to use an analogy. When separated from the vehicle, the engine is capable of generating enormous power – enough even to self-destruct. But that great energy, in the vehicle, provides valuable use. The vehicle does limit the engine, but provides a space for both to together provide lasting value. Separate, they cannot do much by themselves – the engine generates power but there is no consumption mechanism, and the moment one is harnessed to it, it gets limited by the ability of the harness. Similarly, the body has its own limitations – it can do only so much irrespective the power the engine can generate. If the engine generates more than the body can handle, both will self-destruct! Harnessing a rocket engine to a car is a recipe for disaster – and harnessing a car to a rocket is a waste of fuel – the rocket cannot even expect to budge.

So, to make the most efficient use of the soul and the body, we have to learn to read, control and use the soul optimally within the capability and capacity of the body. Rather than fret at lack of usability and appropriateness, why not tune the body’s sensor, feedback, monitoring and physical abilities to best use available resources and pair them to the energy source optimally? As the pairing improves, the soul will enhance, and if the right amount of growth is achieved, man will become superman, and from there even perhaps God! For each transition however, just the same way as with the vehicle, each major enhancement and upgrade needs a visit to the appropriate workshop, and the work of qualified technicians and engineers. So also, for each major growth step, we need both to be able to slow down completely, shut down the external senses, and under the guidance of the right Teacher, step into the next phase of life.

Change and growth are not magical automatic transitions – sometimes (actually very often) the change is accompanied by physical pain and stress. The Teacher (like a surgeon with the use of appropriate medicines) can help ease the transition, but there will be some pain, and some relearning to use the new you appropriately. And each of these requires us to stop completely what we are doing so we can take the next step in our evolution. And after the transition, we have to learn to live and accept our new life and new space in Life – we cannot expect to return to the old life and still hold our new station.

So learn to embrace change – for it is as inevitable as time and the cycle of seasons. Grow, and watch the world evolve with you. As we evolve, we will see that which remained hidden from us till we became ready, and developed the faculties to grasp, understand and use all that this world has for us.

Until then, the mind will keep wandering far away from the body – on what seem like flights of fancy. It is really giving us a glimpse into possibility. If it is to us to take the leap of faith to make that possibility reality!

“Your life quality is affected by the quality of your thoughts.”
– MARCUS AURELIUS

Kabir – The couplet
बाहर कहाँ देखि ऐ, अंतर कहिये राम ।
कहो माहौल खलक सो, पर धनीसे काम ||

Transliterated:
Baahar Kahan Dehi Ai, Antar Kahiye Ram |
Kaho Maahaul Khalak So, Para Dhanise Kaam ||

Translation:
Why do you look outside, pray inside your heart|
The world does not need to know your prayer, their approval means nothing ||

My understanding:
In the early stages of learning any new skill, we are anxious to seek approval of our new learning from the society immediately around us. So we parade our new learning and wear it on our sleeve for all to see, hoping they appreciate and praise our displayed skill.

Prayer and meditation, however, is not for the external world. As long as we depend on finding satisfaction through the feedback received from our physical senses, we are limiting our growth and consigning ourselves to that space of opposites (joy and sorrow, passion and dispassion, love and hate, enthusiasm and apathy), for the brain vacillates between these extremes as a pendulum, unable to find emotional stability or centered peace, as long as it depends on finding approval externally.

This inability to center and stay rooted in quietude is because the search for external approval is driven by desire – and the ego always wants more, not satisfied by any level of acceptance or approval. If one likes me, why not two? If the whole world approves, are they all secretly making fun of me? If they really liked this this much, what else can I do to make them like me more? How can I please all at once?

This rapidly draws me into the whirlpool of sycophancy, which will at the end dump me into the deep ocean of desolation and despondence, for ultimately, even the greatest sycophant tires and moves on to other pastures.

Do pray for you need it, not because someone else must approve. Find satisfaction within in the resulting calmness and peace. There is no need to look for external approval – the ability to pray is reward enough!

“The battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance.”
– Shannon L. Alder

Kabir – The couplet
सकलो दुर्मति दूर करू, अच्छा जनम बनाव ।
काग गवन गति छांडि के, हंस गवन चलि आव ||

Transliterated:
Sakalo Durmati Door Karoo, Acchha Janam Banaav |
Kaag Gavan Gati Chaandi Ke, Hans Gavan Chali Aav||

Translation:
Dear all, give up negative thoughts, brighten you life |
Give up your crow-like nature, come to me as the resplendent swan ||

My understanding:
The extreme cold weather around me gave me an opportunity to see myself in a different perspective. The sense on cold on the skin automatically propels the mind to find warmth somewhere. This attracted me to the fireplace and the comfort it promised. As I got to contemplate the fire there, I soon got lost in the haze and the apparent dance of air that the heat generated, distorting the view of the space around the fire. And I was presented with the thought that negativity, like the fire, was capable of distorting my perception of the space around me, making me see things very differently from reality.

Until I step away from the generator of the distortion, I will have no conscious perception of reality. My perceived reality will have no basis in truth, and all thought and action taken from that viewpoint will brand me outside of the space I need to be.

So then the next thought – how do I gain that control to be able to quench that fire? If I am generating the fire and become the fire, I cannot quench it. To be able to step away, I have to differentiate myself from the mirage that is the anguished ego. This separation can only occur when I have seen it melt away and disappear in a prior calmer moment. So, as with everything else, practice prepares and helps make perfect. Deep breaths can only calm the external self – gaining control over a tumultuous mind that is in the firm grip of ego is a whole different level of control.

To find that calm space, one has to establish the ability to identify the first disturbance and squash it, for, if left unchecked, it will grow into the storm that cannot be abated easily. The unprepared self for sure will not be able to even begin establishing control – which is where I, the average human, will despair, give up, and explain it away as inevitability and fate. But, the reality is, I can – if I put my mind to it, AND work to affect that control.

So here is to new exercises for the mind and learning control.

“What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough; for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.”
– Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Kabir – The couplet
माया छाया एक सी, बिरला जाने कोई ।
भागात के पीछे लगे, सन्मुख भागे सोई||
Transliterated:
Maya Chhaya Ek Si, Birla Jaane Koi |
Bhaagat Ke Peeche Lage, Sanmukh Bhaage Soi||
Translation:
Shadow and delusion are alike, one cannot differentiate their behavior |
They chase those who chase them, but vanish once one stands up to face them ||
My understanding:
This is in continuance from yesterday.

Until we have trained and tuned our senses, they will continue to flood us with unfiltered data that will continually make us behave like a wisp of cotton in the wind – driven in whichever direction the wind decides, with no sense of purpose or destination, absolutely immobile without the wind, and very mobile but with no purpose but rather at the wind’s whim when the wind is active.

In this state of extreme activity while immersed in ignorance (for we have yet to gain control of our senses) we believe the perceived world as presented to us by our senses to be real, and convince ourselves that we are in control and enjoying the ride – all the while riding a rudderless ship whose engines are out of all control.

We first understand our predicament when we try to stop for a moment to take a breath, our figure out our location – but by then the vehicle of life has picked up too much speed and refuses to relinquish control of any sort in even the slightest measure to us. After struggling for some time to regain control, we give up that effort and then try to extract what enjoyment we can from the unpredictability of the ride, giving it fanciful names such as fate, circumstance and the belief that someone else is controlling the reins of the horses that are driving this vehicle.

In this state, we define life as our senses allow us to perceive it – and hence are convinced that life begins at physical birth (when the senses started their control mania) and ends with death (which is where the input from the physical senses finally vanishes). In the interim between those two bookends, we vacillate between pairs of emotions – love and hate, joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, possession and loss. Joy seems to constantly alternate with suffering in our life experience. Focusing only on the presented apparent div3ersity and changing circumstance and external phenomena of the physical world (as represented to us by the physical senses), we remain immersed in a peculiar duality, with our physical selves experienced by us as the subject, and everything else outside of us perceived as the object or our experience.

It is this mislaid sense of duality of subject and object that makes us perceive God as external to us, separate and different in all aspects to our own self. However, one we start to train our senses to feed us regulated input, and then train our perception to read the input properly, instead of haphazardly and without any sense of organization, the apparent duality melts away like the delusion it really is. Once the rush and craze driven by that delusion vanishes, we finally begin to see and hear our true self – which is when we will begin to understand, simultaneously, both the finiteness of the existence and utility of the physical and the infiniteness and immortality of our true Self.

And that will mark the beginning of the next stage of the journey, of which this human life is but a small part!

“Please give me the light of your wisdom
To dispel the darkness of my mind
And to heal my mental continuum.”
– from a prayer to Buddha
 
Kabir – The couplet
पांच पहर धंधा किया, तीन पहर गया सोय ।
एक पहर भी नाम बिन, मुक्ति कैसे होय ||
 
Transliterated:
Paanch Pahar Dhandha Kiya, Teen Pahar Gaya Soy |
Ek Pahar Bhi Naam Bin, Mukti Kaise Hoy||
 
Translation:
I worked for twelve hours in the day, slept for eight |
Without even an hour spent in understanding the Self, how will I find liberation? ||
 
My understanding:
 
When born, our world revolves around eating, playing, sleeping and enjoying the company of ourselves and our parents. As we grow, friends begin to claim more of our time. Then it is classes and teachers, then games and more friends, then career, family and the woes of the external world.

We continually slip deeper into the grips of external situations in the hope of finding firmer footing for ourselves, but only succeed in stepping into the midst of hurricanes we cannot control. Pretty soon, the best we can hope for is to be able to stick our head up once in a while to take a long breath, only to be sucked back into a breathless vacuum that we cannot steer, control or stop from sucking us in. When others warn us o the danger we are stepping into, we ignore them, giving into the fancy that “they are enjoying, but do not want to share the fun”.

We love to play with the toy where, at the press of a button, the cover opens, music starts and a dancing couple pirouette in graceful movements, but have we ever thought about how we would feel if the roles were reversed?  Would we enjoy having to do the same routine at a moment’s notice on someone else’s whim? And yet we willingly accept that as the norm for our professional lives, and wonder why we never find satisfaction. Even when we are doing exactly what we want, we find that we are doing it to pay the bills, not for the sheer joy of being able to do it. And therein lies another crux – does the end justify the means?

When we find the right answer to this question, and the follow up train of thought, we will find the way to find time for ourselves, and learn to stop and smell the roses and listen to the birds. For that is our true bounty and our rightful inheritance – the ability to play in the sun with the sand under our feet, to swim in clear rivers and sing ourselves to sleep at night under the stars.

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” – Any Rand (Anthem)
 
Kabir – The couplet
भक्ति निसैनी मुक्ति की, संत चढे सब ढाई ।
जिन जिन मन आलस किया, जनम जनम पछिताई||
Transliterated:
Bhakti Nisaini Mukti Ki, Sant Charhe Sab Dhai |
Jin Jin Man Aalas Kiya, Janam Janam Pachitaayi ||
Translation:
Devotion is the ladder to liberation, all saints climb this with eagerness |
Those who got lazy, spent many lifetimes regretting their wasted opportunity||
My understanding:
Can love free me? Yes – but only when I understand and then practice love properly. Love does not bind – it liberates. Love liberates me from ego, for love drives me to do that which will make the other happy, regardless of self.

When I learn to serve in that fashion, I have crossed two bridges, conquered two peaks. I have overcome the infatuation of the self, and I have learned selfless service. These two lead me inwards to the true self within, where bliss abounds.

This love, when expressed of God, is true devotion. When the purpose of my existence is transformed to serve humanity (for that is what is to serve God), I will find the divine in every soul. That service will keep me forever joined to Self (which is another name for God) for those who have drunk at that fountain will not be able to step away for even a moment. And life will become peaceful, content and satisfied all at once.