MY THOUGHTS
(August 2010)
I reproduce below some of my replies to QUESTIONS BY SOME READERS ON A different WEB SITE.
The questions are not reproduced as most of them are simple and the REPLY mostly leads back to the question.
The replies given naturally depends on the level of perception of the questioner.
Hope the subjects dealt with will be found interesting by the readers :
SEARCH FOR TRUTH
& RELEVANCE OF GURU
After all, where do we search for truth?
Sooner or later, our search has to start within or come back there.
The Outside world is a world of faith and Belief - not of knowledge, not of experience.
Your Inside world is the world of SEARCH - and finally, OF KNOWING & WISDOM.
If you perceive a God, or, your own REAL SELF, it is within - not outside.
Certainly, the Guru is not there inside you. He is not part of your exploration of truth inside your self.
He is outside - he is pointing the way - he is cheering you - he is encouraging you - he is correcting the course from outside, if needed - but, inside you, only you are running. Only you are searching.
And, only you are FINDING. And Only you are KNOWING. And, Only you are becoming WISE.
This search is so great, that, you not only become wiser, but you also become more and more joyful (and less and less sorrowful) at each stage!!
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FAITH
& KNOWLEDGE
We depend on FAITH, where ever and when ever reason cannot assist us - as in the case of GOD, or any thing, metaphysical.
Faith sounds so reassuring and so essential. And, it is.
But then, the question arises, why did Buddha, Mahavira and so many seekers went in SEARCH?
Why did they not BELIEVE and keep quiet in that belief?
We believe X as mother and Y as father. We see them, touch them, embrace them, quarrel with them and sleep in their lap. All these are based on the belief that they are our father and Mother.
But, suppose, some one tells you - no, they are not your father and mother.
You become morose, desperate and want to find your real parents.. You go in search. Why? You want your parents. As simple as that. You must get to know them. Else, your feel, your life remains incomplete, unfulfilled.
So - the seeking starts. God is - but I want to see him. I want to talk to him. I want to KNOW HIM for sure. I want to love him in all his personal glory as I KNOW and not as I merely believe.
While FAITH is reassuring, this SEARCH is so desperate and tortuous for the seeker.
But, the seeker FINDS HIM. Knows him. And then, all sorrow disappears from his Life.
But, the seeker FINDS HIM. Knows him. And then, all sorrow disappears from his Life.
Faith often crumbles. Knowledge never.
The Knowledgeable man can give FAITH. His proximity is good enough. A Christ, a Buddha, a Sankara, a Mahavira, a Ramana, a Ramakrishna can infuse Himalayan faith into their direct disciples.
But, after them, the Books, the scriptures etc can give some faith - but it often crumbles. That is why, many countries of the FAITHFULS are always at war with some one or other.
We then need a Guru - not a Book. Go to a Guru - he infuses all the required faith into you.
* * E N D OF 2 * *
WHY LISTEN MORE
& SPEAK LESS
Well. It is a Good question.
Here is my view :
Firstly, God has made 2 ears - but only one mouth. This is to make sure that one listens at least two times more than what one speaks. Many people know this part of the Logic.
Secondly, Our ears are kept open ALWAYS - FOR ALL OF OUR life. You can`t close them. They work 24 hours of the day and on all days. You may and you must close the eyes periodically. You may and you must close the mouth most of the time and open it only periodically - but not so with the Ears.
This is to ensure that you do not miss out listening to any thing important or unimportant. There is no sound unimportant to you really. So, Listen, then Judge.
LISTEN - is therefore your creator’s order.
But look at the tongue. It has so many doors and locks. The 2 jaw bones, the two rows of teeth, the two lips must all open, before they permit the tongue to speak. Not only that. The tongue requires their continuous cooperation - to speak.
Nothing like that is required for the ears. The ear hears – as long as you alive.
So, you are made by birth in such a way - that you must listen more and speak less.
Third, Ears don`t require the mind`s permission to listen. They listen always.
But, tongue requires Mind`s permission and cooperation always in a big way to know –
`what to speak, when to speak, how to speak, whom to speak to and what NOT to speak, how NOT to speak, when NOT to speak` .. and so on.
You see, TONGUE needs that much of Mind`s Judgment and permission. Ears need no such Judgment or permission.
It has GOD`S PERMISSION to listen to every sound around you!
Fourthly – tongue’s capacity to speak is strictly limited by the lung capacity of air, which is very finite and very limited. But, Ear’s capacity to listen depends on the air outside – and the air outside is almost infinite comparatively to carry all the sounds of the world to your door (of the ears).
Fifthly – Ears can listen to many sounds – almost to any sound in the universe - but tongue can speak only a few sounds. What your tongue can never speak, your ears can listen.
There are a few more points. But, this is probably enough to say that God has ordered us - LISTEN BEFORE YOU SPEAK.
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EARS VS MIND
& DEEP SLEEP
The question now is – Ears also go to sleep. Right or wrong?
In deep sleep - the mind sleeps. True.
The ears don`t.
An essential sound is still perceived - like a mother perceives the child`s crying even in the deepest sleep. There is a tuning mechanism. The ears will shake up the mind and wake it up. Modern science is yet to catch up with this mechanism. Mind can do nothing and becomes totally helpless.. if the EAR totally sleeps.
Just like in computers..unless the external port is on, the UPS can do nothing to absorb an external noise. So, in humans also – this one Port (Ears) is always on. But decision – is always of the Mind.
But, a cobra sitting on you and hissing may not be perceived. This is not considered essential by the system. The cobra perceives no threat from you and leaves.
This difference apart, your whole system reverts back to the essential `who am I` in the deepest sleep.
That is why, when we get up from the deepest sleep, we feel so refreshed, and we say - `I had such a wonderful sleep!’
Who knows that he/she had such a wonderful sleep? Some one was awake and aware of the deepest sleep. This particular awareness is momentary, but is coming from the essential `who am I`.
But, this ‘who am I’ awareness is instantly transmitted to the thoughts and feelings part of us - and gets back into the back ground once again. You are again your normal body-mind complex.
It is for this reason that we are urged to meditate immediately after DEEP SLEEP. Just wash you face, freshen up and before other thoughts rush in, get into meditation. The chances of getting to know the `REAL I` are brightest after DEEP SLEEP.
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BUDDHA & GOD
Why bother about a totally unknown God - when we don`t even know our own self clearly?
Buddha knew that - once we know our SELF, we also know the God or whatever is to be known about him.
So, his whole teaching was centred on knowing one`s own SELF. You are very right in that. He never talked of God.
Buddha and Mahavira met only once. True.
This is unfortunately true of many current day Gurus as well. I feel, they need to meet each other and pool in their energies. Or show at the least, that they like each other and respect each other. Their disciples will all like it.
Recently, two of our most illustrious Gurus met each other in a very, very friendly atmosphere. Their disciples were ecstatic at this development.
* * E N D OF 5 * *
WHY CAN’T WE
SEE TRUTH?
Gautam Buddha was a great revolutionary thinker of his times, who could see the ABOSLUTE TRUTH.
There are many reasons why we do not perceive or live the absolute Truth.
Our senses function always in the PRESENT but cannot see the past or the future.
Our mind always wants to wander in the PAST or in the FUTURE. But you cannot keep it in the present easily.
Our mind always wants to wander in the PAST or in the FUTURE. But you cannot keep it in the present easily.
We have to work with these two - the senses and the mind which work in opposite directions. Even while your eyes are reading this, your mind is wandering into the past or the future!
This is one reason, why, though there is an absolute truth - we can not easily perceive it.
Seeing the absolute Truth and living it - is the Art of Living.
* * E N D OF 6 * *
ANCIENT INDIAN SCIENCE
( OF YOGA)
Ancient Indian sciences had achieved extraordinary levels of knowledge through unbelievable and great contemplative processes.
But, most of this science is lost in History. Out of a huge volume of UPANISADS, today, hardly about 10 to 12 are available to us.
Likewise, most of the ancient scientific texts are just not available.
Yet, the ones available - like Patanjali Yoga Sutra - are fantastic texts - but absolutely brief. A Guru is essential to explain them and make you go through the Ashtanga Path.
Today - People do know the value of Pranayama, Asanas and to some extent, of Meditation.
But, the Best value of Patanjali’s Yogic science - actually starts at this point. The things that can be achieved with Meditation (Dhyan) and beyond it are extraordinary - as Patanjali himself has mentioned.
The process of SAMYAMA – which can enable the yogi to control / mould any thing in the Nature - is the only weapon a yogi needs for all his purposes. You don`t need a plane or a train - for any journey. you do not need any warm clothing to survive in the Poles. You can manufacture food anywhere you want. The type of control that PRAHLAD JANI recently exhibited - by abstaining from food, water, urination and defacation for over 70 years - is possible through such processes.
The Samadhi (of 2 types) is the ultimate experience of a Yogi.
But, Patanjali warns of the glamorous pitfalls of samyama processes for the Yogis.
In the exploration of the internal world, the search for answer to the question - "WHO AM I?" led people to discover extraordinary truths about the SELF. But then, this path is not a glamorous path for onlookers.
Well. India has a lot to tell the world.
The problem is - People must go to the GURU - or at the least people must become totally ELIGIBLE to be disciples - else, we can`t expect a GURU to come to us and teach - and we can`t tempt him with the whole world, to be our Guru.
But, that is not the way - the western world functions.
* * E N D OF 7 * *
DEATH
& MOKSHA
Is there a HEAVEN or a HELL ? Is (enquiring into) this the height of Intelligence??
You must have seen the laughing Buddha Images. One explanation for the laughing Buddha is - when Buddha did all his meditation, one day he got enlightened all of a sudden. All his doubts evaporated. He probably discovered what sort of a fool he was, trying to know what he knew all along. He started laughing and laughing and laughing at all that passed in his life and in his mind till then. A serene smile remained thereafter, always on his face, even though the laughter subsided.
All saints are like that even today - not Buddha alone - they are always calm, peaceful, smiling and joking. They are already in heaven - or a place better than heaven. With some saints - whom I also know for several years - no one has seen them angry or unsmiling or even fatigued.
Yet, your question - is there a heaven and hell - is still valid. There are heavens and hells - is the uniform answer of all Hindu saints and scriptures and of many other religions. But, of course, there are better places than them.
One saint of today says jokularly – Some things my dear, you will have to know practically by going there - Do you want to?
Another saint says equally jocularly some thing like this –
Lakhs of people are going to Tirupati temple ardently asking for Moksha, Heaven etc.
Suppose Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati temple decides to himself today - enough is enough, whoever comes in; I will take him permanently and put him in some heaven.
Now, it becomes a one way traffic there. Whoever goes into Tirupati temple are going in only - but not coming out - no one, including the Archakas.
Will you go in??
No. You won`t. Nor will I!!Nor anybody else.
Suppose Jesus, Allah, Madurai Meenakshi, Kasi Viswanath and all others of them decide collectively to do the same to the people who go to their temples, churches, mosques etc. No one will be coming out of these temples, mosques and churches, and these Gods leave no trace or evidence of what happened to them...
Most of us will become irreligious overnight. No one will go to temples, mosques, churches etc.. Most people frankly are not yet prepared for Moksha – Not yet have complete faith in our Gods or temples etc.. unless and until the Gods become more transparent with what they are giving us.
The other side of death will always remain a mystery for our INTELLIGENCE...that is the problem..that is also the grace.. that intelligence is not for the UNPREPARED MIND.
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