On Accepting Impermanence as a Truth of life

“I do not wish to die in this lovely world

I want to live in the midst of men

If I may have a place in the sunshine

In flowering gardens and in living hearts”.

(Tagore’s poem; Morite chahina ami, translated by Dr. A. C. Bose)

This sentiment is the echo of all mortal beings of this impermanent world. Nobody wants to die. This world which we perceive through our senses looks so real, so beautiful, that we grow a deep attachment to it, never wanting it to end.

But we get shaken when we see glimpses of the underlying reality of life which is quite different from what we imagine it to be. The reality that we are forced to confront when our loved ones have to leave the stage of life and disappear behind a curtain that we can’t look beyond - which is called “death”. Death is certain, life is uncertain. And seems to be that certainty is one that we have a constant struggle against.

Life’s challenges become more intense when the fear of death is added to it.  Feelings of insecurity force us to hold back as much as we can for ourselves in the quest for greater security and we find it harder to ‘let go’ of anything.  And this mind, distracted with fear loses the sense of the underlying truth of impermanence. And in the attempt to make life more attractive we go on accumulating things more than our necessity and capacity. In that process of accumulation, we may deprive others from their due share; we tend to become intolerant, selfish, and more self centered. In such a state, a life focused on itself can never blossom with peace and happiness since that self-centered gaze is the psychological blockage that also blocks true happiness.

As light can dispel darkness, so only the true knowledge can help us to come out from the fear and ignorance.  According to Vedanta, Brahman is one, the ultimate reality, (Ekam eva advitiyam), which manifests it self in the universe through living and non-living things, which are called para prakriti (consciousness) and apara prakriti (matter) in Sanskrit. Gross body and matter are sustained by subtle divine consciousness. Gross body is perishable, but divine consciousness, is immortal, imperishable. We are all children of God - “Amritasya putrah”. Our inner nature is immortal bliss. And the goal of human life is to have the realization of our true divine nature. According to The Veda, God is everywhere - he has filled up the storehouse of this earth for our enjoyment.

It is beautifully expressed in these few lines;

The blissful winds are sweet to us,

The seas are showering bliss on us

May the corn in our fields bring bliss to us.

May the plants and herbs bring bliss to us

May the cattle give us bliss,

O father in Heaven, be Thou blissful unto us!

Swami Vivekananda

There is one subtle warning pronounced in one famous shloka of The Vedas, where it says “Tena takhtena bhunjita, Ma gridham”. It means enjoy everything with a spirit of giving, do not be greedy. That balance of enjoyment without attachment is the essence of balancing the gross body existence and the nature of our subtle body, which is composed of energy - prana.

These truths which were found, realized, and articulated by our ancient sages, may help us to come out of the clutches of fear and anxiety that taint much of what could be a different experience of life; we may live life with a spirit of joyful freedom of our divine nature through our energy body, which no amount of worldly pain or suffering felt in the gross body can diminish.

We cannot change life’s pattern, which is derived from light and darkness, good and evil, life and death, by our creator. The only approach available to us is to change our attitude, which is constantly at hand. By changing our inner attitude to this outside world, we may bring tremendous benefit to our own joyful experience of life as well as to others. In the acceptance of impermanence and in taking life’s each challenge without fear, to go forward and to evolve towards our true divine nature, is the first step – and perhaps the only one we can take. Life is a great school where our soul learns to make itself free from the many forms of bondage this life can tie us up in. We must realize we all come from the same source and go back there only. Each life manifests itself like a wave that forms in the ocean, which stays for a moment and then returns to the ocean. The ocean is the Brahman; the wave is but one of its many transient manifestations.

Today’s society is divided into fragments on the basis of caste, creed , religion, etc, that is generating jealousy, enmity, and intolerance amongst us. We are short sighted and this is its result. As is beautifully said in Gita “The universe is strung in me like pearls in a string (B.G Chapter 7/verse 7). Realisation of this “truth of oneness” may help us to develop the feeling of universal brotherhood, and we may see this world as a one big family. Today the evil of fanaticism is tearing apart our society into pieces. By realizing, practicing and applying this truth in life, we may help ourselves come out of the clutches of the great evil called fanaticism. Only then life can blossom with peace, love, and harmony.

Another point on which we may introspect deeply, is the difference between love and attachment. We tend to confuse these two as one, which is actually not so. The language of love is to give, the language of attachment is to desire. Attachment always pushes us to have more and more by fueling our unending desires. Attachment makes us an eternal beggar, whereas love makes us a generous giver. Attachment is the seed of today’s consumerism, which is the breeding ground of greed and intolerance. “Toleration is the homage that the finite mind pays to the inexhaustibility of the infinite” (Eastern Religion and Western Thoughts by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan).

Now everything depends on our choice, of how we want to live. There is no point in blaming others, or trying to change that which is unchangeable. Whatever we can do we should do now, whatever we can say, we must say it now. If we can give a smile, we should not wait. This is the only way to avoid regrets in life. I conclude with a quote from Vivekananda, “If in this hell of a world one can bring a little joy and peace even for a day into the heart of a single person, that much alone is true; this I have learnt after suffering all my life; all else is mere moonshine”.

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Self-Empowerment is a Necessity in Today’s World

Self-Empowerment is a Necessity in Today’s World

Self-Empowerment means, empowering ‘self’ with power. According to Upanishad, self is Atman, which is divine and blissful in nature. Self resides in a body, which is it’s temporary house, and self-expresses itself in life through many activities.
The first requirement for ‘empowering self’ is to have a strong desire to do so. Secondly we must know to choose the right path, to proceed forward. 
In today’s world, the inner weakness is very predominant. For any of our misfortunes, we have a tendency to blame others, or external factors. This is a clear sign of our inner weakness. Vedanta tells us to be positive and strong and to take full responsibility for life’s ups and downs in our own hands, and not to blame others for it. 
There is a very powerful message from Gita, “Raise yourself by yourself, don’t let yourself down, for you alone are your friend, you alone are your enemy”, (Chapter 6/verse 5).
It is said that, the upliftment of self can be done by self itself. Nature has given us that capacity to do so, and nobody else can, only we can empower ourselves.
Life requires three types of strengths. Bahubal, the muscular power for the body. It can be developed by exercises, good nourishment, cleanliness etc. When we are physically strong no disease can attack us. It is very important to make our body strong, because it is the temporary house of our soul. It is also an instrument through which the soul works in our life span. 
Second strength that we need is Buddhibal, the power of intellect. Intellectual power can be increased, by studying, thinking, being creative, and most importantly by having proper discriminating power. 
The most important aspect to empowering self is to have Atmabal, the spiritual strength from within.
There is a process for everything. The path for gaining inner empowerment was explained long ago, almost 5000 years back by Patanjali’s ‘Yoga Sutra’, which is called ‘Ashtanga Yoga’. Through eight steps, it teaches how to empower our inner self. These eight steps are self-control, discipline, correct posture, correct breathing, detachment, concentration and meditation. Without practicing these, it is very difficult to conquer our lower nature.
Following the scientific path of yoga, when power of concentration sharpens, the yogi becomes aware of his mind’s activity at every moment and develops the power to stop negative emotions in a timely manner before it gets out of control.
Concentration is compared to an un-flickering lamp in the Gita. A flame stays steady when wind currents are not there. In the midst of external disturbances, if the mind can stay steady like an un-flicking flame, one can feel the blissful Atman in oneself. Then one is truly empowered, and the master of his own destiny. Then no out-side sorrows or disturbances can rob his peace and happiness.  Even if somebody misbehaves, he does not get affected. He can brush off all the negative behaviours of others from his mind, can forgive them and forget it forever. Only a self-controlled person can forgive and forget the negative things in life.   
The real transformation comes to us; when we can touch our inner spiritual cord; only then we become truly empowered and confident, also we can be correct in our dealings with the external world without losing our balance, and can remain ever blissful within. 
As Paramhansa Yogananda says, “Life is like a motion picture. It is made of light and shadow, joy and sadness, compassion and cruelty, and many opposite currents. In life we are dancing with a drama of opposites. If we want to be happy and empowered, we must be aware that we are souls, we are spiritual by nature. That is our real identity. Man can be truly happy only within his soul nature of bliss, omniscience, and wisdom. He can never be contended by imagining himself to be happy because the senses are happy”, (Paramhansa Yogananda, God Talks to Arjuna).

In Search of a touch stone

In Search of a Touch Stone

I remembered one story of a very poor man, who never cared to have wealth, shelter, or any kind of help, but was madly busy in searching of a touch stone.

It is believed that the touch stone has a special quality, to turn iron into gold just by a mere touch. It is indeed a rarest fortune, one can dream of, to have such a magical stone. But that mad man, whose condition was worse than a beggar, did not want to compromise his search with any other gain.

Only with one fixed idea in his head “How to get a touch stone” he spent his youthful energy, time, and eventually turned into an old man without any strength. But still his intense search was on.

Till one day seeing him, when a street urchin cried out, “oh old saint, from where did you get that gold chain around your waist?”

The old man was shocked with surprise. He realized, that magic stone came in his hand in some special moment; he also touched it to his iron chain in a routine habit. But what a pity that precious moment slipped away unnoticed. It came in hand, and went out of it, because for his inattentiveness. He was doing his job with just ritualistic practice, without engaging his mind in present moment, so he did not notice the change. With a broken heart, he started his reverse journey again to try his luck.

This is the exact story, which is happening in our lives too. 

We are all crazily searching for a magic stone, which can vanish all miseries from our life and can bring only peace, joy and happiness. 

We are trying our luck in all possible ways. This is the heart’s desire of everybody, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, young or old. 

By spending our life’s energy in desperate search for money, name, fame, and what not. We believe, through these channels only we can make our life secured, comfortable and happy.

Our basic confusion is, what we are searching for is “inner bliss” but our chosen paths are only fit to provide us outside comforts, but definitely cannot supply inner bliss. While searching for inner bliss, our adopted methods should also be inward looking.  That path is referred in our scriptures, as a path of self-control (nivritti). 

Basic needs of life cannot be, and should not be ignored. With our honest efforts we must full fill those needs of our life. We should remember, where to stop, and not get entangle by them. Life has two aspects, soul and body. 

Meditation and action both are needed. For the development of these two, Gita refers about “pravrtti” and “nivirtti”. Through pravrtti, improvement of economy, political and social system is possible. Where as through nivrtti value oriented life, inner spiritual enlightenment is achieved.  Both are needed in proper balance, to make life wonderful. Here I quote from a German philosopher Schopenhauer’s book, “The world as will and idea”. Long back he said, “When man achieve security and welfare, now that they have solved all other problems, they become a problem to themselves”. 

Same idea is reflected in Swami Ranganathanda’s sayings, “Work, work and work, earn more and more money, but remain inwardly poorer and poorer, until one becomes a nervous wreck.” (Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita, page.??? )

So we see, balancing between our inner and outer journey is most essential, otherwise like that old fakir we may have to start our reverse journey again in next life.

We are all atman, we are one and not separate. This wisdom is the real touch stone which has the power to remove our vanity, feeling to separateness, hatred and all negativities in a second. Then why not start searching for that gem of wisdom in our life? 

The root cause of all unhappiness, whether in family, society or between countries, lies in the feeling of separateness between each other. 

This separateness is created on the basis of social status, caste, creed, race, and on so many other criterions. We forget that all of us, we want to be loved, to have helping hand in each other needs, to share our joys and sorrows.

Today though we are able to keep in touch with the whole world in a second, through our modern gadgets, but some how the art of communication with genuine feelings is fading away.

Time has come for the realization of our oneness. If only we combine our comforts, with attitude of co-operation, life can be complete and we can co-exist peacefully with all.